


The Situation in Touma

by the_brute_squad



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: AU, Awakening Cameos, F/M, modern day AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-14
Updated: 2015-10-28
Packaged: 2018-04-20 18:22:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4797599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_brute_squad/pseuds/the_brute_squad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kamui Hoshido, middle child of the Hoshido family and employee at the renowned Hoshido Fashion Label, receives an unusual request from her older brother. Soon, complications arise, old secrets are dredged into daylight again and Kamui finds herself tangled between the fates of her own family  and their rivals'.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Dismissal

**Author's Note:**

> Just some small changes I’ve made to note; in this Takumi, Kamui and Sakura are all Mikoto’s children, which therefore makes Ryoma and Hinoka their half-siblings. I’m using the Avatar’s Japanese name (Kamui) because in this she was raised entirely by the Hoshido Family and giving her an English name seemed bizarre (plus I personally prefer the name Kamui). Also I’m using Kamui’s default appearance with the only deviations being the small beauty mark by her bottom lip like Mikoto's (which actually is a genuine customisation option) and that her hair colour is a darker grey resembling Takumi’s rather than silver, in an attempt to make the Hoshido family look a little more…well, related to one another like the Nohr family do. Besides the Fates cast, I plan to add some Awakening cameos in here too (especially when it comes to Odin, Luna and Lazward). Ages of the Hoshido family are:  
> Ryoma: 34  
> Hinoka: 29  
> Kamui: 24  
> Takumi: 22  
> Sakura: 15
> 
> Lastly, though this doesn’t necessarily pertain to the story too much, I just wanted to get something off my chest about Kamui. From what I’ve seen Kamui has developed a bit of a bad rep among the online community, but personally I think this is unfair. Due to their imprisonment Kamui has spent much of his/her life without being given much (if any) freedom or responsibility, so when he/she are suddenly dumped into being such an important figure isn’t it far more realistic that he/she doesn’t have much of a grasp on what they’re doing? Kamui’s flaws (his/her naivety and the fact they aren’t as intelligent or level-headed as Robin was) are often criticised, while his/her good qualities (their kindness and the way they try to accept/understand their companions' nature) are completely ignored. Personally I like Kamui (I've always seen them as a bit of a polite but clueless Hugh Grant type of character) so I do intend to keep her as such in this, but I also understand why she might not appeal to someone looking for a more forward, savvy protagonist. Hopefully, that covers everything, if you have any questions don’t be afraid to ask and I’ll try to answer, and sorry about the long-winded info dump.

_To truly understand the situation in Touma our top interviewer here at In Style Magazine, Anna Coin, managed to snag an interview with Business Insider and the genius behind the Shepherd Shoe Line, Robin Grimm. Anna met Robin Grimm at a high-end restaurant in none other than this season’s fashion destination of choice, Touma [pictured bottom left] in hopes of getting some insight on the fifty year feud._

_RG: What you have to understand about both the Hoshido and Nohr brands is that these are two giants in the Clothing Industry squashed into the same space, even without their history some form of tension would be expected._

_AC: Just as a recap, exactly what is the history between the Hoshido and Nohr labels?_

_RG: (chuckles) I find it hard to believe you don’t already have that information, Miss Coin?_

_AC: Indulge me?_

_RG: (pauses) Alright, both Hoshido and Nohr were relatively unknown Labels in their home countries of Japan and France, respectively, it was only when they moved to Touma and discovered the versatile textile uses of the local flora here that their businesses began to really take off. They hit main stream, until about 19_ _89_ _when Hoshido experienced an unprecedented boom for two years._

_AC: You almost sound jealous, Mr Grimm?_

_RG: Well, yes, I suppose I can admit that. The growth Hoshido underwent in that two year period was almost as large as most Companies can realistically expect in ten-maybe twenty-years. It left Nohr in the dark, and the Label was practically on the brink of bankruptcy when it too suddenly experienced the same sort of Business Growth in 199_ _1_ _, just a year after Hoshido had seemed to plateau out again._

_AC: Wow, you don’t see that every day, right?_

_RG: No you don’t. You hardly see that sort of thing in a century. Of course, Nohr hadn’t forgotten how Hoshido had completely overshadowed them for those two years._

_AC: So it’d perhaps be justified to say that Nohr was bitter?_

_RG: (pauses) I’m not exactly sure if ‘bitter’ is the right word. Hoshido weren’t exactly happy with Nohr’s sudden popularity when their own company was suffering through a lull, either._

_AC: I always thought that a little friendly competition was good for a business._

_RG: Usually I’d agree with you completely, but with Nohr and Hoshido it’s never just been about business. Did you know that roughly 39% of the population of Touma are second-generation Japanese immigrants, and that 41% are second-generation French immigrants? Most came over when Sumeragi Hoshido and Garon Nohr were Company Directors of the two Clothing Labels, but even outside those two companies Touma suffers from one of the highest average ratios of Discrimination and Equality complaints in the UK. Religion, even, in Touma is dominated by either the worship of the French-originated Dark Dragon or the Light Dragon from Japan. This isn’t just about competition, its-and I hate to use such an extreme term-but it’s like a small-scale war._

_Neither Ryoma Hoshido nor Xander Nohr were willing to comply when asked for their own takes on the matter, but the situation more than speaks for itself. We here at In Style Magazine have to wonder, when exactly is it all going to come to a head? And what will it mean for the Fashion Industry when these two key players eventually do?_

Kamui had read the article a sum total of five times. She read it twice more in space of waiting for Aqua to finish her call. Perhaps it some vague form of research into public opinion? Or a mental kick to find more time to revise the family company history? Maybe, she just liked the photograph of the rooftop view of the Hoshido quarter of Touma swathed in warm early afternoon hues and garlanded in strings of festive lanterns like little flairs of gold stitching? The correct answer, however, was much less ambitious. The article had aroused Kamui’s morbid fascination with hearing about what people said about her family behind her back. It had started with the girls gossiping in the school bathrooms, and it was still alive to that day with Kamui’s meticulous tendency to scour every tabloid she could get her hands on for any articles on the Hoshido family behind the Label.

Oboro evidently did not share her slightly masochistic habits.

“I don’t know how you can waste time reading that trash.”

To further empathise her distaste Oboro plucked the magazine from Kamui’s fingers, holding it an arm’s length away and giving it the stink eye like it’d been dipped in something unhygienic.

“The way they slander you and Takumi,” she scowled, “Urgh, it’s shameless.”

 In typical Oboro well-meaning but forceful manner, the magazine was flung carelessly away where it hit the wall and eventually slid into the paper recycling bin. Honestly, Kamui was a little too impressed by the shot to notice that her friend was working herself into a verbal lather about how unscrupulous the glossy gossip mag and its ilk were.

“-I caught some of them lurking outside Sakura’s school yesterday, bastards, they came to regret that when I caught a hold of them!”

“Wait,” Kamui zoned back in abruptly, “they’ve been harassing Sakura?”

“Well….no,” Oboro’s face coloured as she dropped her gaze to where she was twisting her hands in her lap, “b-b-but it’s only a matter of time. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they don’t!”

“Oboro…” Kamui paused to ensure she worded her next question correctly, “Have you been keeping an eye on Sakura for Takumi and me?”

“Well, when you put it like…” she grumbled, still resolutely avoiding eye contact.

Kamui couldn’t help smiling at her friend’s reluctant semi-confession. It was a recurring duality in her life that the people she knew with the strongest approach, also happened to be the biggest softies. Oboro for one and Kamui’s big sister, Hinoka, especially. Oboro only seemed to wilt further with embarrassment under her friend’s gentle smile, squaring her shoulders for the evitable thanks like it was a mortal blow. Not that Oboro didn’t like getting thanked, just that being thanked by Kamui and Takumi made her feel stupidly self-conscious.

“Oboro."

The pony-tailed fashion designer almost smirked at the interruption, grasping enthusiastically at the opportunity for escape. Aqua was watching them both patiently behind the metallic half-moon desk stationed outside the Director’s office, one perfectly manicured hand holding several sheets of paper out in their direction while the other balanced the telephone receiver between her ear and slim shoulder.

“The contact information you asked for,” Aqua continued in her usual steady tones.

“Ah!” Oboro practically shot up from her chair, “Thanks Aqua!”

“Please, don’t mention it. Was there anything else?” Aqua smiled mutely as Oboro rushed over to scan the document.

“No. No, this is it. Thank you!”

From that moment hence Oboro was a whirlwind of activity, commandeering a stapler from Aqua’s immaculately organised desk and copying, organising and stapling the documents before finally rushing back to where her bag rested on the seat beside Kamui’s. She scooped the handbag up to rest in the crook of her arm then pivoted to dash off again.

“Oh!” Oboro snagged to a halt, “Kamui, hold on a second.”

The navy-haired young woman licked the pad of her thumb before carefully wiping away an errant smudge of eyeliner from Kamui’s cheek. Task accomplished, Oboro grinned.

“There! Alright, I have to get back before Hinata takes the top of his thumb off with the Fabric Scissors, are you sure you’re going to be alright?” she fixed Kamui with a stern gaze, the kind Kamui imagined a mother gave her child when telling them not to get into any trouble.

She supposed the analogy was quite apt considering Oboro’s tendency to be the assertive portion of their duo.

Kamui’s lips pulled in what she hoped was a reassuring smile, “Honestly I’m fine, Oboro, it’s probably nothing anyway.”

“…If you say so,” Oboro replied dubiously.

“You better call me straight after, okay?” she called, already speed-walking back to her department.

“I will!” Kamui laughed after her, “Oh, and Oboro? Thanks for keeping an eye on Sakura!”

Although Kamui couldn’t see her friend’s face the blush was almost audible, “you’re welcome!”

When Oboro disappeared from view, a sigh escaped Kamui and she slumped further in the chair. With her friend gone so too had left any hope for distraction. Reluctantly Kamui’s gaze meandered over to the double Cherry Wood doors across from her, ‘Company Director: Ryoma Hoshido’ engraved in bold brass above them with the stark finality of a full stop. For Kamui, the words above the gates of Hell in Dante’s Inferno came to mind. ‘Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here’.

Despite Kamui’s best efforts, the reception area outside her brother’s office was cleverly designed to draw all attention towards those double doors. Ceiling to floor were decorated in muted colours, the furniture (including the waiting chairs and the matching pair of broad-leafed tropical plants) were modern but plain and unobtrusive. Even Aqua’s (Ryoma’s PA) desk failed to incite interest, tucked away in the corner as it was and undecorated, like a little glass-topped sentry tower. Kamui glanced wistfully at the picture of Anna Coin on the cover of In Style Magazine winking at her from the recycle bin. With the silence, smell of clean carpets and heat radiating from the lighted ceiling panels above; Kamui felt the room itself was gradually shrinking in on her.

_Logically_ Kamui knew that her apprehension was ridiculous. She was a twenty-four year old woman, not a six-year old girl sitting watery-eyed outside the Headmaster’s Office. Still that didn’t stop the instinctive anxiety. The memory of the human body was a remarkable thing, Kamui mused. She still prodded her the second molar from the back every time she passed the dentists. Fourteen years later she still instinctively made an effort to gently ease doors closed, remembering all those times an year old Sakura would startle and cry at a slamming door. For the years she’d been working at Hoshido, nothing good had happened in Ryoma’s office. The ghosts of those past failures hung around her head like an emotional muscle memory.  

“Kamui…are you alright?”

The young woman in question flushed and looked about herself guilty. Aqua’s face was pinched in concern. Despite her generally stoic demeanour, Aqua had to be possibly the most beautiful woman Kamui had ever met. When she’d first joined there had been one occasion when the blue-haired woman had sang the most heart-breaking ballad at a Hoshido work function, and the experience had left Kamui feeling like they were visited by some tragic fairy-tale character brought to life. As childish as the thought had been, it didn’t seem so laughable with Aqua.

Still waiting for an answer, Aqua moved as if to get out of her chair but Kamui quickly waved her off. She didn’t want to cause any worry. With that thought in mind, Kamui concentrated on dredging up more pleasant memories of the office _._ Most were from a time when Sumeragi Hoshido been alive and it was his name above those door. _Visiting her father at work with her mother, her hand in her own, warm and comforting like a lullaby. Sitting in father’s lap as he patiently, gently, pointed out all the different brilliant flashes of fish in the tank behind his desk. The time she’d accidently split her father’s bottle of aftershave all over the expensive rug and she’d almost cried at the thought of being scolded, but her father had laughed in an indulgent manner and told her he liked the smell anyway._

They were old and faded by use, but they put a smile on Kamui’s face anyway, “I’m fine, just a little nervous.”

Aqua smiled in reply, “Mr Hoshido is ready to see you know, if you’d just follow me.”

“Oh, right,” Kamui collected her belongings and trailed behind Aqua, smiling again when the taller woman held the door’s open for her.

“If you need anything Kamui, don’t hesitate to call.”

“I won’t, thanks Aqua.”

With that Aqua nodded modestly before pulling the huge doors shut behind her. Ryoma turned to face her with a smile, hands clasped behind his back and face half-lit by the sunshine pouring through the glass wall to their right. Despite Ryoma making an effort to change as little about the room as possible, it still did not feel like Sumeragi’s office. The woody undertone of her father’s aftershave still lingered, the tropical fish tank still sat behind Ryoma’s desk and still these felt more like extensions of Kamui’s older brother than her father. The thought was not upsetting. She’d always admired Ryoma’s ability to make peace with his grief.

“Kamui,” Ryoma clasped her in a brief hug.

Kamui felt small again. Everything about Ryoma had always seemed so large to her, his strength, the depth of his loyalty, his determination and sense of duty. She wished she could be like that sometimes, but could not see any feasible universe where that was a reality. There just didn’t seem… _enough_ of her so Kamui was more than content watching over Ryoma’s light. _That_ was her place. That was where she fit.

“Big brother,” Kamui smiled up at him, all earlier anxiety washed clean, “how are you? You’ve been finding the time to eat, right?”

He chuckled at that, “I have. Though I’m sure Rinkah would have something to say if I weren’t.”

Kamui didn’t doubt that. Although conversation wasn’t the ex-professional kickboxer’s strong suit.

 “How’s Shinonome, still running circles round you both?” Kamui couldn’t help giggling at that. Her boisterous nephew had limitless energy, something Kamui suspected was partly fuelled by the amount of food he and his mother managed to get through.

Ryoma sighed with a fond smile, “Yes, he’s been trying to convince me to let him join the Kendo club.”

“And you didn’t let him?” Kamui asked, perplexed.

“No,” Ryoma nodded, “Although mainly because they don’t do a Kendo Club for eight year olds. Rinkah handed him some boxing gloves instead.”

Kamui laughed, easily imagining the chaos _that_ decision would unleash.

“Though enough about me, Kamui, you get that every weekend at the family meal. How are you?”

“Me? Well, Orochi’s finally given me and Kaze the green light to approach Youko Silk so hopefully there’s a new Supplier Contract in the works,” Kamui noted, completely oblivious to the serious turn in the atmosphere around Ryoma, “Sakura’s been worrying about her Biology Exam, but I think she’ll do fine, she’s definitely got the smarts and dedication to get an A*. Oboro’s-“

“Kamui,” Ryoma interrupted, pausing as he steeled himself before asking, “…do you enjoy working here?”

Kamui blinked. No one had actually asked her that before. It had just seemed certain that she take a job at the family company. She’d never been as intellectually gifted as her siblings and she’d never particularly stood out in sports clubs either, preferring team sports while Takumi had competed competitively for the UK in his archery club. The only thing Kamui had ever been gifted in was languages, which was why she’d majored in French, minored in Italian and dabbled in German at Touma University.

 But in the end she’d ended up working at Hoshido and she’d accepted that it was just an inevitable factor in the way her life would pan out. Though not her first choice, Kamui enjoyed her job. She wanted to be of use to her family in any capacity. Maybe she’d had dreams of being a translator and seeing the world when she was younger. Maybe she still felt frustrated by her own dependence on her family’s approval. Maybe it did make her feel lonely sometimes but that was something Kamui could deal with, she just wanted to be close to them. It was by far her strongest prevailing desire. Any personal feelings on her position could and _would_ take a backseat, enough of one that Kamui felt selfish when reflecting on them even in private.

“Of course,” she replied, suddenly feeling vulnerable, “why?”

Ryoma crossed his arms over his chest and directed his frown to the rug underneath his polished shoes. Finally Kamui realised that her earlier apprehension was justified. Ryoma was working up to something.

“I need to ask you do something for me, and I want you to know that I won’t be angry if you refuse.”

“Anything,” came the instinctive reply.

Ryoma lifted his head up to grace her with a sad smile, “You haven’t even heard what it is yet?”

“I don’t need to,” Kamui said with determination, “Whatever you need, big brother, I’ll do it.”

“Kamui…”Ryoma sighed, though at his next words the affectionate tone had steeled into the voice of a leader, “I’m going to fire you and I need you to apply for a job at Nohr instead.”

“What?”

The urge to laugh was the most immediate one for Kamui. Surely he was joking? Though this did not seem like something that would fit in Ryoma’s category for humour. Still there was no way Ryoma was serious, was there? He didn’t reply immediately, instead twisting round to push a button at his desk to inform Aqua that the others could enter now. Kamui stared helplessly at Saizou and Kagerou like they would hopefully be merciful and shed some light on the bizarre request. Besides a sympathetic glance from Kagerou, the couple kept their gaze locked on Ryoma.

“Although I’m as uncomfortable with secrecy as you, Kamui, it’s important that what I’m about to say doesn’t go beyond the us four in this room,” Ryoma began, “There’s a Nohr spy in Hoshido.”

“A spy?” Kamui echoed in bewilderment.

“Who?” Saizou growled.

“Saizou,” Kagerou hushed with a warning tone.

“I don’t know who,” Ryoma answered grimly, “Kagerou and I have gone through the company records and security footage countless times but we couldn’t find anything. Though we do know that whoever it is has complete access to highly sensitive information. Kagerou?”

“Yes, sir,” the brunette cleanly stepped forward to spread two documents on Ryoma’s desk.

Saizou and Kamui huddled forward for a view. The first was a pencil layout of a high-collared evening coat constructed from navy wool and with an overall feel of effortless luxury, Kamui recognised Takumi’s precise hand and attention to detail immediately. The second was a photograph of Nohr’s winter line from last year, including a short high-collared coat in mossy green.

“Bastards,” Saizou muttered heatedly.

Kamui glanced up, not immediately understanding how the two pictures correlated to one another. She’d always dealt more with the client relations side of the business rather than the actual mechanics of designing and creating the clothes (something Oboro endlessly tried to educate her on).

Noticing her confusion, Kagerou leaned forward to calmly explain, “The buttons and the cut of the front, besides the length and material, the two practically identical.”

“Oh,” Kamui breathed then turning to her brother said, “But we shouldn’t jump to conclusions, right? This is only one case so it might just be a coincidence.”

“After it was brought to my attention I had Kagerou look into it,” Ryoma replied, “She’s found over thirty examples from spring last year to now, summer, exactly like this one. We even attempted to have them fully annotated in Japanese and code but still no luck.  Someone’s been feeding Nohr our designs and from what I’ve learned from the other departments, they’ve been giving them our customer and supplier information too.”

Saizou was clenching his jaw so hard Kamui was worried she’d hear a molar crack. In contrast Kagerou was stone-faced and collected. Kamui, however, was confused. Not by what Ryoma had said but by _how_ a fellow employee could be convinced to do such a thing. How did they come into work every day, smile and talk and eat lunch with their co-workers, with the knowledge that they were helping to destroy those same friends’ careers and livelihoods stretched across the back of their mind? _Why_ would they do such a thing? For money, or was this personal? How could they act so convincingly that even the amazingly perceptive Kagerou had no idea who the culprit was?

Kamui’s thoughts abruptly turned to her best friends and family, the people she loved who would end up hurt by this spy’s actions. Oboro, who’d dreamed about working at Hoshido since she was a little girl. Kaze, who felt such a sensation of accomplishment by following in his father’s and older brother’s footsteps. Takumi and Ryoma who worked so hard to protect the company their father had poured so much love into. Kamui was sure whoever it was had their reasons, but in her mind they could not be justified enough to allow such a betrayal to continue. Bewildered as she had been by Ryoma’s abrupt delivery, Kamui was now determined to shield her family and friends from any harm.

“We have to stop them,” she breathed.

Ryoma smiled, patting her head like she was a child again, “We do and we will. I’m publicly firing you, and I want you to apply for a job at Nohr under the impression that you’re bitter about it but still want to work in the fashion industry. They’ll likely be mistrustful at first but the opportunity to insult our reputation and the inside knowledge you could offer, should have them taking the bait. From their side I want you to try to find out who the spy is, Kamui.  Though I want you to know that you’re not going to be alone in this, I’ll support you in any way I can, and if you ever have doubts come to me and I’ll stop the whole thing immediately.”

As determined as she’d felt moments ago, Kamui’s confidence began to deflate slightly at Ryoma’s words. He was only being comforting but perhaps that meant he did not believe she was capable enough? _Was_ she capable enough? Honestly, Kamui did not know.

“I want to help, Ryoma, but…are you sure you want _me_ to do it?”

“Kamui, I’m asking you do this because I trust you completely,” he smiled gently down at her, “and because there’s no way anyone would suspect you of doing something like this. Though you aren’t as…forward as Hinoka, you’ve always had a talent for getting people to open up to you.”

 Trust. Ryoma _trusted_ her to do this. Even if the notion of spying on others left a gnawing sensation in her gut, even if she’d been chosen specifically _because_ this task warred with her very nature, how could she refuse? Kamui nodded, putting immense effort into wiping any evidence of her internal conflict from her face. Her family had always heavily encouraged her to be open with her troubles, they wanted to be one who slayed her dragons or kissed her skimmed knees better, but Kamui had discovered that some of her hurts had to remain hidden from her family for their sake. Ryoma needed her. Trusted her. He’d never even entertain the notion of letting her go through with it if he knew how much dread playing the part of corporate spy filled her with.

“I understand, brother,” she smiled, “you can count on me.”

////

What followed was something Kamui would tentatively describe as a ‘debrief’. Tentatively so because the ones her Department Head, Orochi, gave were never as hot-blooded as Saizou had been nor did they involve the same amount of overprotectiveness Ryoma had exhibited. In the end Kamui had had to look to the other female present for more of a level-headed explanation. She had been given a phone to contact Kagerou and Saizou on, they’d given her times and contracts for the Nohr Employee interview process then drilled her on her techniques. She’d also been urged to have as little face-to-face contact with Ryoma and Takumi from that point onwards and Ryoma had agreed to make her dismissal look as callous as possible, in order to further maintain the ruse that she had been fired and retaliated by applying for a rival company. Then there were the countless other little details that had collectively left Kamui frazzled and completely drained by the time she exited Ryoma’s office hours later.

What followed was far more difficult.

Kamui gazed at her reflection in the metallic sheen of the elevator doors. Under the heavy lighting she looked as wan as the smell of pine fermenting the little metal box. She had been warmed by her Orochi and Kaze’s willingness to leap to her defence when Saizou had delivered the news, but the backlash of guilt had kept her tongue shrivelled in her mouth. In the time it took to enter the elevator, the entirety of the Customer and Supplier Relations Department had heard the news.

Kamui shut her eyes, feeling as though the sympathetic gazes of her co-workers clinging to her like a second skin. In the end, Saizou’s gruff rebuttal had earned Kamui enough time to clear her desk without too many protests from Orochi (her superior). The usually teasing, purple-haired woman was a close friend of Kamui’s mother, and no doubt believed that she should represent Kamui’s best interests in Mikoto’s place. On the other hand, Kaze had been quietly supportive and chosen instead to help Kamui avoid further embarrassment rather than voicing any of his own opinions on the matter. For that kindness alone, Kamui was endlessly reminded of why the green-haired young man was one of her oldest and dearest friends.

The elevator doors swished open to a wave of fresh, cold air. Kagerou’s heels clacking on the marble floor of the Reception Area seemed particularly damning in the otherwise silence. Natural light poured through the glass front, the area itself looked impossibly wide and high now it was near empty. Setsuna sleepily lifted her head from her desk before finding them of little interest and flopping it back into her arms again. Either the news of her dismissal hadn’t trickled down to ground-floor yet or Setsuna simply didn’t care for gossip. Kamui nodded farewell to Kagerou and Saizou, the glass doors parted and finally she stepped out into the carpark.

And immediately felt stranded.

Countless times she’d exited the Hoshido building, located her car and drove home; yet suddenly the actions seemed foreign to her. Kamui stood there for a moment, hovering by the driver door of her little blue fiat (a hand-me-down that Kamui had purchased from Hinoka when her older sister moved to the Military Base full time). Regardless she slipped into her car and drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. She’d never left work this early before. Kamui sat there, feeling empty-headed and vaguely awaiting some cosmic cue for action. Nearly everyone she knew would be busy with their own lives at that moment, and she’d promised to let Ryoma handle telling Mikoto. Sakura. Kamui’s eyes darted to the watch on her slim wrist. Her little sister would be leaving high school in about twenty minutes, plenty of time to get over there and surprise her with an impromptu visit to the bakery. Kamui sent a quick text to her mother, telling her that she’d handle the carpool today before pulling out.

////

“Sakura!”

“…K-Kamui?” the sweet-faced fifteen year old jumped and looked about with wide, doe eyes. It was the first time she’d looked up since the students had begun leaving the school gates in a sea of uniforms. Even from this distance Kamui could spot the way her little sister was gripping onto the arm of Sakura, her best friend, like a buoy. 

Kamui smiled and waved from her window, “I’ve come to pick you up, I wanted to see if you fancied stopping round the Bakery?”

Sakura smiled softly, tipping her head in a shy smile while Hana and Tsukuyomi took it upon themselves to part the way clear. The three teenagers bundled themselves into the back of Kamui’s car in a flurry of conversation, belts clicking and black blazers being readjusted. Tsukuyomi settled for gazing moodily out the window while Sakura and Hanna searched for their elusive belt buckles (the back ones always had a habit of slipping under the seat). Once complete, Hana turned to Kamui with a wide grin and head of long, wavy hair kept precariously away from her face by a single snowflake clip.

“Hi, Kamui!”

“Hello, Hana,” Kamui smiled, “How’s football practice?”

“It’s going good, yeah, we might be competing regionally soon,” Hana beamed with pride.

“….Hana’s their star shooter,” Sakura added, her pride in her friend seeping through despite her quiet tones.

“Ah! Sakura, just telling her like that is kind of embarrassing!” Hana laughed.

Tsukuyomi snorted, “Yeah, that’s why you’re always telling practically everyone in a five-mile radius.”

Hana’s cheeks puffed up furiously at the sarcastic comment and she shuffled about to kick at the boy’s shins.

“Eh?” Sakura gasped, trying to break up the pair’s squabbling, “H-Hana, please don’t try to bite him!”

“Settle down back there, please,” Kamui chuckled, keeping one eye on the road while the other watched the teens re-right themselves in the rear-view mirror.

The entire situation made her chuckle to herself. When she had been Sakura’s age, it had been Hinoka asking Oboro to calm down while she, Kamui and Kaze piled into the backseat. The dynamics of Sakura’s friendship group and Kamui’s were diverse, and yet there was still a vein of similarity. 

The traffic was jammed in the afterschool rush, but Kamui was content to listen to her little sister and her friends chatter in the back. She chimed in her and there, the acoustic crooning from her radio filling the car with calm ambience despite the ongoing hit-and-run war Hanna was waging on Tsukuyomi’s shins. When they finally pulled up to the Sweet Tooth Bakery, Kamui barely had time to kill the engine before Hana was barrelling out dragging Sakura behind her while Tsukuyomi followed at a more dignified pace.

Sweet Tooth Bakery was a sweet little hidey-hole that had managed to remain unscathed by the whole Nohr/Hoshido rivalry. It was the sort of establishment that came to mind when Kamui had to summon the image of ‘grandma’s home-cooking’; full of dollies, cutesy animal figurines, floral patterned furniture and pastel colour scheme. The place always seemed to be maintained at a cosy temperature and smelt like baking bread, regardless of the season or what was actually on offer. Sakura loved it, and Kamui tried to take her as often as possible despite the extortionate prices.

Kamui was convinced that the rated Gaius priced for his wife’s, Sumia, goods were some form of PG robbery.

“Oh,” Sakura breathed softly, wandering over to one corner of the confectionary array showcased behind the glass counter, “They have Mochi again.”

“Would you like some?” Kamui bent down to Sakura’s height and smiling back at her sister.

“Yes, please,” Sakura nodded.

“Good choice, Pop-Tart.”

Kamui lifted her head up to see the owner of the establishment’s orange-haired head peeking down at them, chin propped on his arms that were draped over the countertop. The lollipop stick in his mouth quirked upwards as he gave them a quick, feline smile.

“G-good afternoon, Mr Gaius,” Sakura mumbled, hiding slightly Kamui’s back as her chronic shyness kicked in.

“C’mon, Pop-Tart,” he chuckled, using the nickname he’d dubbed Sakura, “you can just call me Gaius, you’ve been in here often enough.”

Sakura didn’t make a verbal response, instead withdrawing further behind Kamui’s back though both knew she didn’t have any fear of the man himself.

“Looks like Big Sis is here today, too,” he smoothly continued rather than drawing attention to an already red-faced Sakura, “If you’re after the Mochi, I can do you a deal.”

“Really?” Kamui asked.

“Uh-huh,” he nodded, “Buy one, get one half-price, sound good?”

“Oh, yeah, yeah that sounds great, thank you,” Kamui replied with a distracted smile, hunting around her handbag for her purse, “Do you have someone to share it with Sakura, or do you think you could managed two?”

Seeing as Hana had already snagged an inedible looking square of neon-yellow…something, Sakura turned to boy currently frowning at the shelves above his reach.

“Tsukuyomi, erm, would you like to share some Mochi with me?”

“Mochi?” Tsukuyomi directed a patronising glare at Gaius, “Don’t you have anything more… sophisticated?”

“Nope,” Gaius shrugged unapologetically.

Tsukuyomi sighed, “Urgh, very well if I must.”

“So, we’ll have two Mochi-“

“Oh and this!” Hana interrupted, slamming hers down, “…Please!”

“Two Mochi,” Kamui began again, “and, er….”she struggled to come up with the appropriate name for it, “…that, please.”

“Alright,” Gaius nodded, leisurely ringing them up at the antique till, “Eating in or eating out?”

“In, please.”

“That comes to £17.50,” Kamui reluctantly handed the money over (internally bemoaning the futility of the Mochi special offer), “Thanks.”

The quartet situated themselves at the table closest to the window, and Kamui spent the next half an hour amiably catching up on her little sister’s life. Hearing about what subjects they were enjoying (‘PE obviously’ according to fiery Hana), which of their classmates were immature (‘ _everyone’_ according to a dismissive Tsukuyomi) and if they were still determined to chase their dream professions (‘yes, big sister' according a determined but still bashful Sakura), did wonders for lifting Kamui’s previously disoriented mood. Unfortunately, her relief was short-lived as Tsukuyomi cast her a suspicious glance.

“How come _you’re_ picking us up, anyway?” he muttered, “don’t you have work?”

Kamui’s laughter caught in her throat, where it bobbed there for one speechless second as she scrambled for an answer. She couldn’t exactly blurt out that she’d been fired to her little sister and her friends. Not only was it rather pathetic, but she didn’t want to make any of them uncomfortable. She was treating Sakura and she didn’t want to make the occasion about herself. Yet, she didn’t want to lie to Sakura either.

As if sensing Kamui’s floundering, Sakura quickly cut in, “Er, Tsukuyomi d-did you speak to Mr Fuuga about going to Touma University yet?”

Tsukuyomi shifted, putting his fist against his cheek and gazing moodily out the window, “….No. Not yet. Have you told your mother about the scholarship?”

“Scholarship?” Kamui echoed, looking questioningly at a red-faced Sakura who was desperately trying to sink into the material of her seat.

“Yeah!” Hana beamed with pride at her friend’s achievement, “Sakura got a scholarship for Veterinary School!”

“H-Hana!” Sakura squeaked.

“Eh? Oh! S-sorry, Sakura, sorry….I just thought, well, it’s good news,” Hana trailed off, frustrated at herself for the slip.

“A scholarship? Sakura, that’s great!” Kamui beamed brightly, twisting in her seat to give her little sister a quick hug.

“B-but….the Veterinary school…it’s so far away,” Sakura whispered, staring at where she was twisting her fingers in her lap.

Kamui pulled back slightly to check over her Sakura’s expression but most was obscured under the fall of her hair. She smiled and gently swept an errant lock of hair behind Sakura’s ear.

“That’s fine,” Kamui hushed, “This is your dream job, right?”

“…I just don’t want to leave everyone behind.”

Hana laughed sighed then laughed boisterously, “So _that’s_ why you were so upset, huh.”

“Hana?” Sakura blinked.

“You didn’t think I’d just let you go all on your own, right?” she grinned, “I’m going to be a famous footballer like my dad, so they’ll have to let me in! And if they don’t, I’ll just make them!”

“Following that classic footballer hobby of pre-emptive GBH, I see,” Tsukuyomi snorted then continued in a more subdued voice, “…although, _painful_ as it is to admit, I do agree with her.”

“You’re damn right!” Hana grinned, “You’re our best friend, Sakura, and I don’t care if they moved you to London or….or the North Pole, nothing’s ever going to change that!”

“Hana,” Sakura whispered, “You’re being very loud.”

“Oh,” Hana mouthed, noticing that the other patrons were staring wide-eyed in their direction, “Sorry.”

Kamui giggled at their antics, finally releasing Sakura who seemed more assuaged by Hana’s passionate declaration but still a little anxious.

“Sakura…” Kamui sighed fondly, “If I have to drive for two hours in the middle of the night to help you fix a broken coffee table in your student’s accommodation or…deliver emergency Instant Ramen supplies-“

Sakura giggled quietly at that.

“-Then I will. Because you’re my little sister and I love you, and I will _always_ protect you. So, don’t be scared, okay?”

“…Okay,” Sakura softly agreed, smiling to herself.

“Wow…” Hana breathed, “Why couldn’t I have a big sister?”

“Because then there’d be two of you in the world,” Tsukuyomi muttered, “and the Government would probably have to bomb Touma to stop you from spreading.”

"I'm not a disease!"

"Could have fooled me."

“Argh, shut up Tsukuyomi!”

“Is everyone finished?” Kamui hastily asked, before another brawl could break out.

There was a chorus of yeses and she managed to spirit the teenagers out before they did the Bakery or themselves any damage. Kamui dropped Hana off, before dropping Tsukuyomi at the Wind Clan Tea House (which he lived above with his adoptive father) then drove Sakura home in companionable silence. Sakura promised to E-Mail her the details of the scholarship later then declined the offer for a cup of tea. She knew her mother would be confused with her abrupt departure but Kamui didn’t want to step on Ryoma’s toes.

Instead Kamui settled for leaning over her steering wheel, keeping a watchful eye as Sakura turned to smile and wave timidly before hurrying up the long driveway. Sakura would be fine. Truly, she was far stronger than she believed herself to be. And if she ever did stumble, her family would be there to help her pick herself up again.  Smiling to herself, Kamui pulled the handbrake and reversed out the driveway only then noticing that her handbag was vibrating ferociously. Curiously Kamui rooted around in her bag before pulling free her phone.

**4 Missed Calls: Oboro**

**2 New Text Messages: Oboro**

“Crap,” Kamui whispered to herself.

She stopped the car and tentatively redialled her best friend’s number, mentally preparing herself for the scolding.

“Kamui! Where have you been? Urgh, I asked you to call as soon as you got out! I was really worried!”

“You were worried?” Kamui voiced in sheepish hope of distracting her friend.

“Of course I was!” came the exasperated reply, “There’s this horrible rumour going round the office and I couldn’t find Kaze and-“

“Er, listen Oboro,” Kamui interrupted, “about…. _that,_ well….”


	2. The Offer

For the first day of her unemployment, it still felt surreal. Kamui understood in a completely binary manner what had happened and what she had agreed to do, but it still didn’t feel _tangible_ to her then. She agreed to drinks with Kaze and Oboro on the night, and she and Kaze spent much of it listening to Oboro getting furious on her behalf.

“Honestly,” Oboro had said, “I swear it’s like I’m angrier about it than you are!”

Her navy-haired friend had delegated herself to the role of stout protector and insisted that she stay over for the night. Kamui more than welcomed the company. Her slight mental absence must have been visible because Oboro had endlessly drilled Kamui on Takumi’s favourite recipes for a ‘special birthday feast’ (deaf to Kamui’s sensible reminder that it was only July and her brother’s birthday wasn’t until 14th December). On the other hand, Kaze had been quiet (even for him) until he pulled Kamui aside at the end of the night.

“I know something….suspicious is going on,” he’d confessed, “and I won’t push you to explain, but _please_ be careful.”

On her second day, Kamui drifted through her one-bedroom bungalow at a loss for what to do. She checked and re-checked her CV, sent it through to the Nohr address Kagerou had provided and wasted half an hour on Spider Solitaire waiting for a reply. She puttered around her tiny garden, poking at the small bed of vegetables and overloading the Bird Feeders, trying to convince herself that she was occupied. When Oboro finally left work, Kamui practically rushed out to chatter to the young woman as she left her car.

The duo thoroughly cleaned her house, Oboro tackling the polishing with the same gusto she tended to approach all things in life while Kamui dutifully followed her barked orders. That done, Oboro divulged that the gossip mags were having a field day speculating slander over Kamui’s dismissal. Most portrayed Ryoma as heartless, even falsifying an ‘eye-witness’ account of Kamui stumbling from the Hoshido Building in floods of tears. The news worried Kamui, pained to see her brother’s reputation dragged through the dirt but a later text from Saizou told her to stop ‘babying’ since they had it under control.

It was midday on the third day (Friday) that the reality of what had happened hit Kamui. She blinked. The movies always portrayed realisation as a thunderbolt or a hammer, one brilliant moment of stark understanding that made brutal, unforgiving contact. Kamui found it nothing like that. The closest thing she could compare the sensation to, was being very slowly submerged in water and discovering she could still breathe. There was a jittery panic far in the back of her head and her mind was telling that the situation was abnormal, but her life did not come screeching to a halt.

She flicked off the TV just as Gerome the masked anti-hero was about to enter his final showdown with the antagonist, and grabbed her shoes. She was five seconds away from unlocking her front door when her home phone rang. She froze. Whatever half-formed plan that had suddenly possessed her sieved through her mind like grains of sand through her fingers. No one rang her home phone. She sometimes forgot she even _had_ one.

Kamui dropped her keys on the shoe rack in her tiny porch and approached the receiver as if it might leap at her at any given moment.

Licking her lips she placed it against her ear, and pressed the correct button, “….hello?”

“Hello, is that Kamui Hoshido?” asked a voice. One that was rich and feminine and reminded Kamui of the full-bodied temptresses of the 1950s.

“Speaking,” Kamui replied brightly.

She could hear a smile in the voice as it said, “Ufufu, how polite. This is Camilla Nohr.”

“Eh?” Kamui blinked, “…C-Camilla Nohr?”

The woman was infamous, as much for her beauty as her ruthless ability to secure contracts. Her personal team were unflinchingly loyal, and she’d become something of a fashion icon among the younger generations. That, and well….her bust _was_ pretty legendary. Kamui was embarrassed to admit that was the first thing that immediately bounced to mind when she’d heard the name. She couldn’t help an instinctive glance at her _own_ average bust.

Camilla hummed in affirmation, “We heard about that nasty business with your brother’s label, how are you, sweetheart?”

“I’m fine,” Kamui replied, her tone colder despite herself.

“…How curt,” Camilla’s voice sounded more curious than upset, “I’m sorry, I must have offended you.”

“N-No, no, I’m sorry….that was uncalled for,” Kamui sighed, pressing the heel of her hand against her forehead, “You only asked a question, I shouldn’t have been so sharp.”

Camilla laughed as Kamui stumbled over herself to apologise, “Ufufu, you’re adorable.”

“Er...sorry, I must have misheard that, did you just call me ‘adorable’?”

“I did,” her words curled in a way that made Kamui think of postcard images of cats basking on window seats, warm and satisfied, “In fact, Kamui, I’m calling to offer you a position here at Nohr.”

“Y-you’re offering me a job?” Kamui repeated dumbstruck.

While that was what they had been working towards, she certainly hadn’t anticipated _Nohr_ to make the first move. In fact Kamui had been prepared for an uphill battle just trying to get into the company in the first place. Nohr’s tactics were bewildering.

“That’s right…though if it makes you uncomfortable I completely understand,” Camilla’s voice shifted to something far softer and kinder than the media’s seductress image of her would have someone believe possible. The care was genuine, another factor in a long list of things that confused Kamui about this conversation.

“W-well I…” she sighed, recollected her thoughts and tried to shuffle them into appropriate order before asking, “why?”

Camilla hummed in surprise, “’why’?”

 “Yes,” Kamui’s brows furrowed with purpose, “why are you doing this?”

“You’re skilled.”

“In Languages.”

“Perhaps we need a translator?” Camilla teased.

Kamui couldn’t help chuckling at that, though she tried to rein it in quickly. This was no time for humour!

“You’re experienced,” she continued.

“Three years at a _rival_ company,” Kamui countered.

“Three years at a _fashion label_ , one whose prestige is equal to Nohr’s. I won’t lie, Kamui, part of the reason I’m speaking to you is because of your family-“

Kamui shifted uncomfortably at that.

“-but what if I told you it wasn’t for the reasons you think?”

“….Really?” Kamui asked with a hopeful edge.

“Yes,” the smile was back in Camilla’s voice again, “ _That_ , and _I_ think you’re possibly the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“W-what?” Kamui’s cheeks were flaming.

“Ufufu, what a reaction. I’m looking forward to picking you up for your interview tomorrow. Don’t worry; I already have the address. Till then, dear Kamui.”

“Oh, erm, goodb-“

The call disconnected with a soft click. Kamui stood there in the hallway, staring at the receiver in utter confusion, her cheeks still bright red. What exactly had just happened?

////

“It’s a trap.”

Saizou’s judgement was so swift and final, that it took a few moments before anyone could discuss it further. In their business attire, Kamui had expected Saizou and Kagerou to look out-of-place but the duo had an uncanny habit of camouflaging into any environment. The environment in this case being Kamui’s little bungalow, located at the end of a cul-de-sac on the fringes of Touma City.

Kamui did not inhabit a stylish, modern flat like Takumi and Oboro, nor did she have the sprawling grounds and traditional architecture of the Hoshido family home. The vast majority of her neighbours were elderly and retired, which left the area with a perpetual sleepy, intimate atmosphere. Kamui had, in fact, purchased her own bungalow from an elderly woman who had relocated to a Care Home at her son’s insistence. As a result the place had been in a dire state of disrepair (inside and out) and had acquired the stubborn stench of cat pee and soiled lavender.

Kamui had lost count of how many bottles of aerosol she and Oboro had sacrificed to the cause, but two years later her home still smelt of Summer Meadows and Citrus Blast. Attempting to cater to the already rustic (Takumi preferred the more honest ‘old’) character, Kamui had acquired most of her furniture from hand-me-downs and what bargains Mikoto managed to nab at Antique Actions. Her favourite colour of deep crimson was a running theme, somehow she had managed to squash three wardrobes and a king size bed into her bedroom, and littered here or there was some trace of Eastern influence; but for someone who dressed so femininely Kamui’s home was surprisingly Spartan. Only the narrow hallway (which led from her living room to her bedroom and bathroom) was overly cluttered with framed photographs, making the already claustrophobic space seem even smaller. Kamui had no doubt that her little bungalow seemed ratty to Kagerou and Saizou, who lived in the more high-end proportion of the distinctly Japanese side of the city. She doubted Kagerou would judge, but Saizou had already looked at the lack of secure locks with critical scrutiny.

“To what end?” Kagerou questioned, her expression thoughtful as she folded her arms and leaned back against the countertop, “Although I don’t disagree that the offer is suspicious.”

“They’ll interrogate her about Hoshido,” Saizou glared across at Kamui, “she’ll break, no doubt about that.”

Kamui, looking affronted, opened her mouth to deny Saizou’s claim on ‘inevitable betrayal’, but Kagerou cut across.

“They already have a spy in Hoshido,” she said, ever the voice of reason, “what would be the point in recruiting a _fired_ employee for the same purpose? No, there mustbe another reason. Likely they intend to exact an emotional blow against Ryoma and the Hoshido family, or at least damage his reputation and elevate their own by hiring the sister portrayed as the victim by the press. ”

Camilla’s words glided through Kamui’s mind like a stream of perfume from a passer-by.

_“I won’t lie, Kamui, part of the reason I’m speaking to you is because of your family but what if I told you it wasn’t for the reasons you think?”_

“Maybe…maybe there _is_ no ulterior motive?”

Kamui balked when she realised she’d spoken the words aloud and the other two occupants of the room were staring at her gravely.

Saizou snorted in a derisive manner, “Don’t be so childish. These are the same assholes that employed a corporate spy, you really think they’d just hire Ryoma’s little sister because of your résumé?”

A flush broke across Kamui’s cheeks at his words. The sudden desire to spring from her chair had her legs jittering as the shame of being scolded and her own indignation fought for supremacy. _Was_ it childish to think that her skills would be in anyway desirable? Was the option of giving Camilla the benefit of the doubt so ridiculous? Despite being a member of the Nohr Label (and in a sense automatically her enemy) Camilla was still a human being who had proven to be more than capable at her job. She’d sounded sincere on the phone, so why was it such an impossibility that Camilla simply had the savvy to hire someone who would benefit the company? Everyone may see Kamui as Ryoma’s little sister, just another component in the Hoshido Empire (and not even the most talented one at that) but that did not necessarily make her useless, did it?

Maybe it did, because she had consigned herself to such. She couldn’t say she regretted going into the family business, but she realised with a sickly knotting in her gut that she had no place to argue with Saizou. Kamui was doing this for Ryoma, and she reminded herself that she’d never been skilled with these things. There was a larger game afoot, to survive she’d have to trust in the direction the more experienced players steered her. Swallowing her bruised pride, Kamui nodded stiffly though it was nigh impossible to look either of them in the eye for the rest of the duration of their stay.

Saizou exited her porch with a curt grunt, before spiriting away into the BMV shored against the curb of the dinky cul-de-sac.

“Thank you,” Kamui said as she pulled Kagerou’s coat from the stand and handed it to the older woman, “for coming over so quickly, I know Ryoma said to try not to contact you too much but….”

“It was no problem,” Kagerou smiled, “We’re glad you called, this new turn of events is disturbing, so please do not hesitate to do so in future. I fully intend to be of use to you and Ryoma, no matter the situation.”

The brunette wrapped the coat about herself but paused with a hand resting on the handle, “Kamui, what Saizou said….”

“Eh? Don’t worry about that,” Kamui smiled and waved her hands as if she could waft away Kagerou’s guilt like a bad smell, “it’s fine, he’s only looking out for Ryoma and I understand that.”

“Still,” Kagerou replied firmly, “he spoke to you in a disrespectful manner, please forgive us.”

Kagerou immediately dipped in a formal bow and Kamui scrambled to straighten her again. Kagerou was so serious and contentious about the people surrounding her, Kamui respected her so much that seeing the brunette bow to her was distinctly embarrassing.

“There’s nothing to forgive, Kagerou!” her voice had risen to slightly desperate, “J-just please stop!”

“Very well,” Kagerou replied with a small, maternal smile, “I will scold Saizou for his conduct later.”

“S-scold?”

She nodded once, her expression solemn, “Sometimes it is necessary.”

“…W-what?”

“Goodbye Kamui, and good luck,” then she, like her husband before her, left.

“ _Eh_?” Kamui breathed in the empty porch. For the second time that day, Kamui felt like she’d missed a vital component of the conversation. Still frowning to herself with confusion, Kamui pulled her phone from her pocket and messaged Kaze.

**Kamui: You may want to warn your brother. Kagerou says he’s in for a ‘scolding’?? :S**

Kamui watched the three little reply dots dance across her screen then disappear only to repeat the process again.

**Kaze: Please, just disregard it (uncomfortable smiley).**

**Kamui: XD Kaze, you have to make the smileys with your keys not just write the word smiley lol**

**Kaze: Ah**

**Kaze: I see**

**Kaze:…lol?**

Kamui giggled so hard she had to stifle it with her hand, while the other absently relocked her front door. Kaze had always been lost when it came to technology, sometimes having to rely on Kamui to guide him. Kamui wondered who he’d turn to in the office for such help now she was gone. The thought prompted an aching pang in her chest. Her smile smoothed into something more bittersweet as she replied.

**Kamui: Please never change, Kaze :’)**

**Kaze: For your sake, I’ll make an effort not to (: (is that correct?)**

**Kamui: Yes! :D So, how has your day been?**

The red leather giving a dry huff as if out-breath as she resettled herself on the sofa and turned on the laptop on her coffee table. She spent the next hour diverting her attention between texting Kaze, and continuing her monthly research on Nohr’s line (something that had become a habit after Orochi first gave her the tip when Kamui began working at Hoshido). Once again, what Nohr had to offer in the way of anything inventive or eye-catching had dwindled further, something that had been happening with creeping regularity that year. Kamui remembered being amazed by the sharpness of Nohr’s designs when she had first started at Hoshido; the boldness and confidence, the way they had viciously tip-toed the line between grandeur and immodesty.

Hoshido’s line had always been breathable beauty, the sort of clothes that made their wearer feel ethereal and cherished. Kamui had fallen in love with grace and nobility to Hoshido’s finished products that simply could not replicated by anyone else. Nohr, however, had always been a direct contrast to that,still stunningly beautiful but with an aggressive, darker edge that Hoshido lacked. Only in the privacy of her thoughts could Kamui admit that she mourned the way Nohr seemed to be steadily fading into the niche market of luxury but… _uninspired_ formal wear.

The pointer on Kamui’s mouse hovered over her CV for a moment. Hesitation played a game of tug-and-war with her heart.

_“You’re experienced_.”

“ _Three years at a_ rival _company.”_

_“Three years at a_ fashion label _, one whose prestige is equal to Nohr’s.”_

Saizou’s voice nipped at the heels of Camilla’s.

_“Don’t be so childish. These are the same assholes that employed a corporate spy, you really think they’d just hire Ryoma’s little sister because of your resume?”_

Three years of experience. A University Degree in Languages. A role in the Chief Customer and Supplier Relations Team at Hoshido. A prominent Fashion Label, whispered one part of Kamui’s mind. The family business, whispered another.

**Kamui: …Kaze?**

Her green-haired friend was a slow at typing, and by the time he’d replied Kamui had unconvinced herself then convinced herself multiple times.

**Kaze: Yes, Kamui?**

She typed quickly and sent with a burst of determination.

**Kamui: Do you think I’m personally qualified?**

**Kamui: Not qualified but, er, skilled?**

**Kaze: Yes**

**Kaze: Of course.**

**Kaze: Do you?**

Forcing herself not to think too deeply on what she was doing, least she lose her courage, Kamui’s fingers flew over her keypad at speeds Kaze could only dream to replicate. When one word had appeared on screen, others followed in a flurry, galloping past the part of Kamui’s brain that safe-guarded such things like some wild creature suddenly turned loose.

**Kamui: I’m not sure.**

**Kamui: I used to be sure. I used to think being part of Hoshido family was all that mattered.**

**Kamui: I STILL think that**

**Kamui: I don’t think that’ll EVER change**

**Kamui: But I’m starting to wonder where the line between help and hinder is**

**Kamui: And I’ve put so many things on hold, and**

**Kamui: That’s selfish, sorry**

**Kamui: -.- I’m just unloading everything on you, Kaze, sorry**

**Kamui: Sorry again ):**

**Kaze: What is you want, Kamui?**

Kaze’s calm and perceptive reply made Kamui sigh. Here, she was using him like some last-minute confessional for a bunch of irrelevant doubts and the man _still_ had her best interests at heart. Though if anyone understood it was Kaze. Kamui thought back to the little girl who’d tacked pictures of all the places she was going to explore and all the people she was going to meet, on her bedroom wall. The schoolgirl who, after her father’s death, found some comfort in learning languages because she felt there was something immensely special about understanding what the one foreign student said when he was lost in a sea of strangers. To the teenager determinedly practicing German nouns with cue cards with her boyfriend, planning where they’d live and who she’d work for and what breed of dog they’d own. Then she thought of the young woman from hours prior, who had swallowed her tongue at Saizou’s rebuke.

She loved her job (ex-job in a manner of speaking), loved her family and the people she worked with. As precious as those irreplaceable things were, Kamui still felt like she had been _given_ them. It was a dizzying sensation, recognising that she had had little control in her past and what felt like little control in the direction of her future either.

**Kamui: I think I’d like to prove I’m** **worth being a** **member of the Hoshido family.**

**Kamui: Or at least know there’s more than that to me**

**Kamui: Does that make sense?**

**Kaze: Complete sense.**

**Kaze: Then do so.**

So simple yet utterly true. Kamui uttered one incredulous, soft laugh as she stared at the reply. Why didn’t she just do so? Why couldn’t she now? She was doing this for Ryoma, but there was nothing to say that she couldn’t complete her part with some distinction. Of course, Kamui wasn’t sure _how_ she was going to achieve that but that was largely forgotten in the wake of her new resolve. She would protect the Hoshido label, her father’s legacy and his children’s beloved vocation, and she would do it in a manner that would make them proud.

**Kamui: Thank you Kaze**

**Kamui: You have no idea how much hearing that meant to me**

**Kaze: I have some idea, you’ve said similar to me before (:**

Feeling energised, Kamui raced to her room to pick out an outfit for Camilla’s visit tomorrow.

////

Camilla Nohr arrived in a haze of lulling floral perfume and an air of the highlife. Kamui could personally attest to this, as she was enveloped in both upon opening the door and immediately finding herself squeezed into a hug. She couldn’t say that she had ever found herself pressed into an embrace with a complete stranger before, so it was understandable that the shock felt like her brain had run full-pelt into her skull.

Kamui managed to squeak into the pillow of Camilla's bosom. Suddenly the purple-haired woman pulled back until an incredibly bewildered Kamui was dangling an arm's length away.

"You're even cuter in real life," Camilla purred, smiling at her appraisingly, "like a little kitten."

"K-kitten?" Kamui choked.

Camilla nodded, looking pleased and rather feline herself.

"Now," she turned in a swish of fitted wrap dress and knee-high boots, "grab your shoes and we'll get under way."

"...Did you just hug me?" replied a shell-shocked Kamui.

"No need for money, dear, lunch is my treat," Camilla continued, Kamui's question remaining ignored.

Kamui nabbed a flowing pale red scarf from the coat stand, wound it once about her pale neck and slipped on her heels, before hurrying after Camilla. Despite only being in the woman’s company for all of three minutes, Kamui predicted that she’d spend most of her morning in the same fashion. Still reeling slightly from the other woman’s overly-familiar reception, Kamui shied away further when Camilla took her hand in hers and swung them as the pair walked like they were child and parent.

“Oh?” Camilla blinked noticing Kamui’s red-face, “…You do not do such things in your culture, do you?”

“Erm, not really….”Kamui answered weakly, “Holding hands and hugging is really only something done with someone you’re very close with like friends or family.”

“I see,” Camilla smiled brightly, though Kamui noticed the admission had done nothing to stop the woman from holding her hand until they reached the car.

There was something a little charming in that, but Kamui sincerely hoped that Camilla’s spontaneous bouts of deafness were not about to become a regular theme. Regardless of the warmth of the gesture, publically being treated like a toddler _was_ still embarrassing.

“Here we are,” Camilla’s smile arched into a smirk at Kamui’s anxious expression.

“T-This is _your_ car?” Kamui breathed.

Camilla hummed and nodded.

Although she did know the name of the vehicle, Kamui could only imagine it was something sleek and foreign. Glossy black, low and teeming with the promise of horsepower, the car had forgone the pavement altogether due to its sheer girth. She thought of big cats, of Panthers and Tigers, thought of fangs and claws under each graceful curve of bodywork. Some of the _airplanes_ Hinoka piloted probably weren’t as expensive as Camilla’s sports car. The taller woman slid behind the driver’s seat, fitting a glove of the same black leather as the upholstery onto each hand before popping the passenger door open. It was hot and cloudless (rare weather for the UK) enough so that she could already smell a distant barbeque and see the snail trails drying to nothing on the heated pavement; but she had the bizarre notion that the  car would still be cool to the touch. Kamui may not have known the name of the car, but she _did_ know that she didn’t want to get in it.

“Don’t be frightened,” Camilla said, both her smile and her voice soothing as Kamui hesitated on the pavement, “I’ll protect you.”

“….Miss Nohr, please don’t take offence but may I ask a question?”

“Please call me Camilla, and of course.”

Kamui licked at her lips, “Why are you treating me like….,” she paused, searching for the correct term but found none, “well, like you’re treating me?”

The replying grin was wide and unashamed, Camilla’s eyes crinkling into happy little crescents as she said, “Ufufu, what a silly question. It’s because I think you’re cute, of course.”

Kamui’s flustering at the answer only seemed to amuse Camilla more.

“There’s no need to feel embarrassed.”

Kamui steeled herself. Even though Camilla’s apparent fondness for her could be considered a blessing, it was not ideal. Only last night Kamui had decided to handle this situation to the very best of her abilities, something she felt could be seriously hindered if she was red-faced or spluttering into Camilla Nohr’s cleavage.

“I’m sorry Miss Nohr, but please understand that I am an adult, and being treated in such a manner could not only prove to be undermining but also jeopardise your authority among-Urk!“

Kamui had not been given the opportunity to protest her case fully, before Camilla was tugging her into the car and buckling her seatbelt up for her.

“M-Miss Nohr?” Kamui gaped at the blatant disregard for personal space again.

“Hold onto something, Kamui dear,” Camilla winked.

This time Kamui did not even time to question the ominousness of that remark before the sports car growled twice, the entire frame trembling enough to set the leather seats vibrating as it shook off sleep. Without warning it lurched forward, peeling up the street in an orchestra of squealing tires and pungent smoke. A scream rose and lodged there in Kamui’s throat, snatched away on the wind now streaming through her hair. Contrary to most car adverts, recklessly breaking the Speed Limit was not a pleasant sensation at all. Her heart felt like it was still suspended on her road, miles behind her, and she was losing all feeling in the fingers clawed into the sides of her seat. Camilla laughed with naked joy, a sound with a wild and slightly bloodthirsty undertone to it that did very little to help settle the hard, petrified lump in Kamui’s belly.

When they grew closer to the centre of the city, Camilla added yet more momentum to the impossible speeds they were going. She whooped again when they veered onto the main road in one tear-inducing swing. When she actually started swerving between traffic Kamui frantically put her head between her legs and prayed. Consequently, it was unsurprising that Kamui had little to no idea where they were when Camilla finally rolled to a stop.  Kamui wasn’t exactly sure _who_ she was after that journey, never mind _how_ exactly they were both alive.

The smile on the older woman’s face dropped at the sight of how pale her companion was, “Kamui! Are you okay?”

Kamui attempted to answer but another wave of vertigo had her fumbling for the door handle. Outside the sports car she fell to her hands and knees, thanking the White Dragon as the nausea abated somewhat at the feel of solid pavement beneath her palms. She was _never_ getting in a car with Camilla Nohr again. She’d walk back home if she had to.

“There, there,” Camilla hushed, rubbing comforting circles in Kamui’s back, “Feeling a little better?”

“Yes, thank you,” Kamui tried to regain some dignity by rising shakily and giving the best smile she could under the circumstances.

“Good,” Camilla replied with her own soft smile, “I’m very sorry, Kamui. I’m used to driving like that and I forgot that it can be a shock to others, please forgive me.”

The regret was so heartfelt that Kamui found it impossible to do anything but.

“I-it’s fine.”

Camilla sighed, “And I’d so wanted to make a good first impression….Here.”

Kamui blinked as a bottle of water was held directly in her gaze, close enough to watch the trail of one drop of condensation slide from its chilled surface. She took a grateful gulp, delicately wiped the corners of her mouth and handed it back to Camilla.

“Thank you,” she smiled shakily.

“It was no trouble,” Camilla purred, looking far more content now that colour was returning to Kamui’s skin, “Have you ever been here before?”

Kamui glanced up at the awning drooping over them in jolly blue and white pinstripe. Shadowed under it was Ice Cream Diner, decked out in chrome and retro nostalgia. Jukebox music drifted down from the windows, under-laid by childish laughter and the pour of Coffee Machines. Despite the early hour, it was hot out and as a result the Ice Cream Parlour was packed with sticky-fingered toddlers too young for school yet. She was not entirely sure what she had been expecting but it had not been this. The establishment was more suited to hold a children’s birthday party than an informal interview, but (as Kamui was beginning to discover) any questioning of Camilla’s quirks was an exercise in futility.

“No,” Kamui curiously peered into the window and was pleasantly surprised by the attention to detail (right down to the black-and-white tile floor).

“I used to come here all the time with Elise, she used to let me pamper her with double scoops of Strawberry Swirl,” Camilla sighed with affectionate nostalgia, “…I always find myself wanting Ice Cream when the weather’s hot and remembering those days.”

“I can understand that,” Kamui replied softly, “I try to take Sakura to Sweet Tooth Bakery as often as I can, even if costs a small fortune.”

There was a twinkle in Camilla’s eye as she smiled then, “it is hard work being a big sister but I don’t regret a moment of it.”

Kamui hurried after her as she held the door open for the younger woman, “How old is Elise?”

“Hmm?” Camilla hummed as she searched for an available spot on the counter, “She was fourteen in March, my, how quickly they grow.”

“Just a year younger than Sakura. What’s she like, your little sister I mean?”

“I can’t imagine how anyone couldn’t immediately love her. Elise is a very sweet girl,” Camilla voice rang with barefaced pride, “with a big heart and she’s so bubbly sometimes it is difficult to keep up with her, but that’s have the fun of it.”

“It seems to run in the family,” Kamui replied, blushing when she realised that this was not Kaze and she had no notion of how Camilla would react to any light teasing. She was evidently very devoted to her siblings and Kamui worried that her comment may have been taken as a slight.

However, her trepidation was unfounded, “Ufufu, maybe so,” finally the counter emptied, “a double scoop Mint Choc Chip for me, Kamui what would like?”

“Oh, just a single scoop Vanilla, please?”

“Vanilla?” Camilla blinked, “Are you sure? You don’t have to worry about money, this is my treat remember?”

“I’m sure,” Kamui nodded decisively, “Vanilla’s my favourite.”

“You’re favourite colour?” Camilla asked with evident growing interest. They accepted their cones and settled at the counter, Camilla swinging one leg over the other while Kamui adopted her usual proper posture.

“Hrmm, definitely red,” Kamui answered in between a mouthful of Ice Cream, “especially dark red.”

“My,” she leaned back in her seat in her seat, “a woman whose favourite flavour is Vanilla but whose favourite colour is red, the colour of passion, what a unique mix.”

Kamui was unsure of how she should respond to that, so she wisely decided not to. Ten minutes later, her hope that the conversation would have shifted into more business-related territory was dwindling rapidly. Camilla was stubborn in her desire to learn more about her and being learned about in turn, mercilessly disregarding any attempts Kamui made to ask about her offer or the Nohr Fashion Label. As a result Kamui began to stitch together a patchwork image of the woman across from her.

She spoke of her family affectionately and often, especially her younger sister, to such a degree that Kamui found it mystifying how this side of Camilla Nohr hadn’t been brought to the public eye. The newspapers painted her as a tease; yet although the two young women garnered more than their fair share of double takes, not once did Camilla divert her attention from Kamui to bless her admirers with a sly wink. Sitting across from Camilla Nohr, having a conversation with her in some retro Diner over Ice Cream, Kamui could not correlate what she’d been _told_ of the business woman and what she’d actually _seen._ They had had her wrong. All those tabloids and gossip columns about some voracious socialite with little to no regard for her underlings were writing about a ghost.

Maybe Camilla _did_ try to encourage that image or maybe she _had_ been like that before, but Kamui only knew the woman who handed her a napkin to dab at the Ice Cream in the corners of her mouth, and she found her a little…lonely. The playfulness and the mothering appeared so much more harmless now Kamui had some context. She couldn’t shake the impression that Camilla craved to feel needed. What Camilla said indicated that the only role that she had ever done so in was as a big sister, so she compensated by trying to become a big sister to everyone. There were moments when they’d be talking about Camilla’s love for fast vehicles (be they plane, car or boat) or when she touched on the subject of being fired by Ryoma, that a dangerous edge sharpened the curl of her smile but Kamui never felt unsafe during the half an hour they wasted together.

She’d always believed that she’d thought of the Nohr family as humans but it was only when the relief surfaced that Kamui recognised that that wasn’t entirely true. It was difficult not to have some perceived negative notion of them when growing up from Japanese background in Touma, especially when your last name was Hoshido. Racial slurs were common in Touma High School and the papers had always seemed keen on passively inciting the situation further. With some shame, Kamui can admit that although they tend to keep their rivalry less… venomous when she was in the room Takumi and Ryoma had never exactly been the most charitable towards the Nohr family either. It was not exactly in the perimeters of what she’d promised to achieve but she only hoped that the rest of Camilla’s siblings helped dislodge that buried prejudice.

“So,” Camilla voiced as they began sliding from their seats and collecting their bags, “we shall see you at 8am on Monday?”

“Oh,” Kamui blinked then grinned, “Yes, yes of course.”

Camilla’s smile unfurled across her face in a wave of pure satisfaction, “Ufufu, good. It’s been lovely spending the morning with you, Kamui, we shall have to do this again.”

“Wait!” Kamui hurried towards where Camilla had paused at the door, “Don’t you want my references or anything? I’ve got it all in my bag here, one moment please-“

“Kamui,” the taller woman hushed, reaching out a hand to gently halt Kamui digging through her bag, “There’s no need. You already have the job.”

That statement made such a total lack of sense that Kamui could only stand there, mouthing wordlessly like she’d suffered blunt head trauma. Firstly, why offer the job at such a notoriously demanding company on so little information? Technically speaking she _was_ qualified with prior experience in the industry, but those alone hardly outweighed the disadvantages of hiring her. No interviews, no training days, no…well _nothing_ substantial in the way of the usual procedure of these things _._ She wouldn’t anticipate such a lax approach from her local takeaway never mind a company as infamous as Nohr _._ Apparently Kamui’s employment was based solely on her CV and a five minute phone call.

Secondly, if Camilla _had_ just decided on hiring her on the premise of her CV alone, why invite her out at all? Although she liked the woman and she could understand the importance of gaining a more individual impression of a co-worker; Camilla Nohr was an extremely busy woman who likely had people more important to her that she’d prefer to spend what little free time she had with.

“I…I have the job?” Kamui frowned.

Camilla hummed and nodded, “Today was only about getting to know you…Of course, if you’d rather reject our offer I won’t be offended.”

“No!” Kamui blurted then coloured as an elderly couple turned to glare at her, “I mean no, I’d like to work there, very much so. I mean,” Kamui took a breath to expel the last of her momentary panic before bowing slightly at the waist, “I’d be honoured to accept your offer, thank you.”

She wasn’t given the opportunity to rise as Camilla had already smuggled her into another spine-bending hug.

“Ufufu,” the taller woman chuckled, “You’re so adorable.”

She pulled back and Kamui greedily made use of the space to gasp for air. Camilla pushed a neatly folded piece of paper into Kamui’s palm; who on closer inspection was unsurprised to discover a phone number, nose wrinkling slightly at the flowery perfume it was _drenched_ in.

“My number, don’t be afraid to call if you have any questions,” Camilla called back over her shoulder as she left, “Remember Monday at 8am and we’ll sign the contract. Till then, dear Kamui.”

“Goodby-“

History repeated itself in fine form, because Kamui didn’t manage to get the words out before Camilla had disappeared; this time in a screech of tires on tarmac and the feral roar of an engine. She wasn’t in the passenger seat this time but Kamui still felt her stomach drop when she glanced at the piece of paper in her hand. She tried to think on the worried line between Ryoma’s brows as she slipped the card into her handbag. As nice as Camilla Nohr had proven to be, the purple-haired woman and her family were still planning to ruin Hoshido.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all very much for the Kudos :D


	3. The Team

The first thing she did when she got home was to call Ryoma. In the end, Kamui had kept her silent oath and walked home. With the good weather and scarcity of the act (she kept in shape, in the Industry she worked in appearance was stressed, but tended to clock in an hour or so at the Gym with her sister-in-law and Oboro) the walk would have been welcomed, had she not been walking through a distinctly French portion of the City. Besides being rather unpleasantly sweaty and sore-footed, Kamui had not been hassled in anyway. In fact (sitting at her kitchen table later where she could more rationally mull over it) considering the network of dog-walking parks she’d strolled through it was highly unlikely anyone had recognised her as a member of Hoshido family at all. Still Kamui had _felt_ targeted.

It was daunting when she brought it into perspective. If she felt like that when walking by a duck pond, how would that compare to being in the presence of Nohr employees who actively battled against her family on a daily basis? Not well, was the obvious answer. Nonetheless, she’d just have to deal with it.

Ryoma picked up on the third ring, “Kamui! Is there something wrong? Have Nohr called back again? You’re still joining us for Family Dinner tonight, right?”

“Ryoma,” Kamui began determinedly, “I’ve just got back from that meeting with Camilla Nohr and she’s offered me the job, I start on Monda-eh? Family Dinner?” Kamui blinked, Ryoma’s previous words just catching up to her, “B-but I thought, well, with everything that had happened….”

“Hmm,” Kamui could imagine her brother as he answered; his expression thoughtful, arms crossed over his broad chest and nodding at no one in particular, “Of course you’re welcome. You’re my little sister, Kamui, and I’d never hurt the family like that for business.”

 Kamui shifted and unconsciously lowered her voice to a whisper as she asked, “what about Takumi? He must have heard the news.”

Surprisingly Ryoma laughed at that, “He did. I’ve received enough dirty looks to prove it but, honestly Kamui, Takumi would be more upset if you _weren’t_ here tonight. Neither of you have ever missed a Family Dinner.”

“And we never will, big brother, you count on me and Takumi,” Kamui replied resolutely.

It was an indisputable truth in Kamui’s eyes. Ever since they had been young she and Takumi had trailed after their elder siblings like ducklings, trying desperately to be as big and strong as they were. As the first two children of Sumeragi Hoshido’s _second_ wife, and only born two years apart from one another, there had been an unvoiced pressure to live up to the legacy of their father’s first marriage. As a girl Kamui had been spared of it more than her little brother, who still carried that same air of perpetual struggle and belief of his own failure around with him like a dog nipping at his heels.

Sometimes she wondered if it had been easier when they were younger. Back when they were a united front in their effort to be of use, carrying Ryoma’s Kendo equipment between them or one of them each delegated to a corner of a Hinoka’s hand-crafted birthday cards. Back before Sumeragi’s death, before Sakura’s birth, before Touma University and her boyfriend and the break up, and her job and her little bungalow. Though, thinking on it younger Kamui would likely say she had it easier as an adult.

She’d taken a much more passive role as she got older and a part of Kamui wondered if Takumi ever felt betrayed by that. They didn’t talk as often. _He_ neverlet her do his hair like she had when they were children. _She_ no longer came to him with scraps or bruises that she’d hidden from their other siblings. But at the heart of it Kamui still considered Takumi to be the sibling she was closest with. She admired Hinoka and Ryoma, she doted on Sakura, but she and Takumi understood each other on a level she couldn’t with her other siblings (even if they were prone to squabbling with one another on a regrettably regular basis). That was not to say she didn’t love them all fiercely; should any of her brothers or sisters ask, Kamui knew with a frankly unnerving certainty that she’d take a bullet for their sake.

Ryoma chuckled again, “So you both keep saying-“

“But it’s true!”

“-I know, I know,” his tone was amused and indulgent, “Just remember to go easy on yourself sometimes, and _that_ goes for _both_ you and Takumi. Now, what happened with Camilla Nohr?”

Kamui debriefed Ryoma on everything of import she could recall which-in hindsight-was not much. The bulk of the report was shaved further by her reluctance to divulge anything _too_ personal to Ryoma. Telling her brother that she was starting on Monday was fine but telling him that there had been something oddly vulnerable and lonely about Camilla Nohr felt like a betrayal Kamui was, as of then, unwilling to commit. He seemed satisfied nonetheless, and left his little sister to her own devices until the Family Dinner.

Family Dinner was often capitalised in Kamui’s mind. It was something about the way Ryoma said it, the brevity he placed on those two words like they were about to complete a ritual that helped stabilise his internal balance in this world. Thinking on it, Kamui found that an apt description. The weekly family meals _were_ likely viewed as something sacrosanct by a man as family-orientated as her elder brother was.

The wool-lined indoor slippers were barely on her feet when something small barrelled into Kamui’s legs, causing her to almost back step into the genkan altogether. A mop of spiky white hair tickled Kamui’s bare knees for a moment, before her nephew lifted his face to give her a broad grin.

“Auntie Kamui!” Shinonome yelled, grabbing at her hands now. His palms were warm and mildly sticky, and it took Kamui no time or effort to pinpoint that the smell of caramel wafting through the house was likely the source. Mikoto liked to spoil her grandson. Rinkah did not seem to mind in the slightest since it usually involved leftovers.

“Come on! Come on!” he tugged at her, “I need to show you my new move, Uncle Takumi and Aunt Oboro have already seen it.”

“H-hang on, Shinonome,” Kamui managed through laughter, “I need to say hello to your father first.”

“Eh? Blah, what do you wanna talk to him for?” Shinonome stuck out his tongue like the idea of someone wanting to speak with Ryoma before him offended his very taste buds, “ _My_ move is much cooler, come on Auntie, I’ve been practising and its awesome!”

“Alright then, Shinonome, lead the way,” Kamui relented.

The eight year old puffed his skinny chest with pride, chattering to her excitedly as he led her out to the family dojo. Kamui heard adult conversation murmuring away from further inside the house, but she did not regret watching her nephew tumble about on the practice mats with her. She’d always had a soft spot for children, and although tiring, Shinonome was animated and bright company.

“-and then he went like this,” Shinonome demonstrated a rough attempt at a high kick, “and the bad guy was all ‘wahhh’ and it was _so cool_! I asked mom to teach me but she said I had to know the basics and stuff first, do you know the basics, Auntie Kamui?”

“Me?” Kamui smiled, “You probably know a lot more about it than I do, Shinonome.”

“Oh? That’s okay,” he grinned and patted her hand in a reassuring manner that made Kamui’s heart melt a little, “I’ll look after you if any bad guys come, alright?”

Kamui fought her urge to giggle, the way he held her gaze and the seriousness of his expression indicated Shinonome would only find the gesture condensing. Instead she placed a light kiss on his forehead.

“I will, Shinonome, thank you.”

His next grin threatened to split his face, though he managed to rein it in as he bobbed his head once, “Alright then. Hi Uncle Takumi!”

Takumi nodded in greeting before being subjected to the ‘Shinonome Knee-Height Bear Hug’ and Kamui swiftly reached out before her nephew toppled them both over.

Takumi sighed with exasperation, reaching down to retract the eight-year old’s grip, “Calm down, Shinonome. One of these days, you’re going to hurt yourself or someone else doing that.”

When he carefully set Shinonome down, the boy proceeded to stare expectantly up at his uncle as Takumi fidgeted, his stern mask of disapproval twitching.

“….What?” he finally relented.

“You want to say something, right Uncle?” Shinonome prompted innocently, “You and dad were arguing, and you said you’d talk to Auntie Kamui.”

Takumi’s embarrassment was as swift as it was predictable. Kamui had always found her brother’s self-consciousness privately endearing (an opinion she felt rather guilty about considering the personal discomfort it brought Takumi), but was too concerned about the news of him and Ryoma arguing to relish the reaction. She glanced at Takumi, her brows the exact shade of grey as his own scrunched with distress. He caught her gaze before stiffly looking away again. The message was clear: he didn’t want to discuss it right now.

“Eh?” Takumi looked affronted, the tips of his ears turning the same red as his cheeks, “I-I…just that…Your grandmother wanted you, Shinonome.”

“Eh? Granny Mikoto? Has she made more caramel apples?” Shinonome clearly prioritised the important questions first.

Takumi crossed his arms over his chest and nodded his head, a small smile cradled in the corners of his lips as Shinonome dashed out towards the kitchen as fast as his little legs could carry him. Takumi and Kamui followed at a more sedate pace.

“You’ve been arguing with big brother?” Kamui whispered when certain that Shinonome was out of earshot.

“Yes,” Takumi frowned, “….Mother was worried.”

Kamui smiled to herself, knowing her brother well enough to translate his reply: ‘ _I_ was worried’.

“I’m fine, Takumi. Ryoma was right, really, and I guess it’s about time for a change. It’s nice that you asked though!”

“I never asked,” he huffed.

Kamui giggled at that, though quietened when her brother shot her a glare, “Ah…sorry, Takumi…”

He sighed again though this time there was a hint of a smile in the gesture, “It seems like you’re already looking for a new job. Good.”

“Huh?”

Takumi nodded to her outfit, a formal though light dress with the silk scarf still tied about her throat. It was not something Kamui would wear casually, although she’d always had a taste for prim clothing.

“Oh, yes, I…” she hesitated. Surely they’d be no harm in telling _Takumi_ , he was her brother after all and as unlikely to betray the family as he was to stop the Earth was turning.

“Listen Takumi, you trust me and Ryoma, right?”

They both drew to a halt while he watched her warily, finally giving a cautious nod.

“There’s something I have to tell you about-“

“K-Kamui!”

They glanced up as Sakura reached forward to shyly tug at her sister’s sleeve, “Erm, h-have I interrupted something?”

Kamui smiled before shaking her head, “No it’s fine. What’s wrong, Sakura?”

“Mother needs help in the kitchen,” she explained and with that they were gone. Kamui cast one last glance at Takumi over her shoulder, simultaneously thanking and cursing the interruption. It wasn’t her place to pull Takumi into this. But at the same moment she did not enjoy the notion that he was being left out the loop, something she knew her younger brother detested. Refocusing her attention on Sakura, tried to put it out of her mind for now. She didn’t want to taint what time she had with her family.

Kamui and Sakura helped with cutting vegetables and soup-stirring, while simultaneously attempting to divert their nephew’s attention away from a plethora of sugary snacks for their older brother’s sake. Their mother, Mikoto, had made the wise choice to back neither side in the ongoing confectionary war. Instead she chuckled quietly to herself at their antics, as if she were under the strange impression that the curtain of steam rising from the pan would block out any noise she made too.

Eventually Oboro turned up and had none of the reservation that Kamui and Sakura did about ushering the eight year old out the kitchen. Easily, Kamui slipped into the evening with that same sense of practiced familiarity she threw herself into her favourite chair or nestled up in her duvet at night. All underlying tension fell far below the radar as the world seemed to cease movement outside the walls of the Hoshido family’s ancestral home. Perhaps there was a brief moment of tension when Takumi and Ryoma spoke. Perhaps Kamui paled when her mother asked her what she was planning to do for work in the future. Perhaps Sakura’s shoulders curled into herself at Oboro’s comment about continuing the Hoshido legacy at Touma University. But as a family they kept the peace because every single one of them _needed_ this one night a week. There was a comfort in the routine. A sweet ache that warmed Kamui’s chest with a sense of identity, of belonging to something. Meeting Ryoma’s eyes across the table, Kamui prayed that next week’s Family Dinner was as wonderfully uneventful. After all she started work at Nohr on Monday.

////

Nohr Labels was intimidating in appearance, a relic of that stiff-lipped Victorian architecture that towered over its surrounding buildings with a cool, baleful front. While Kamui was accustomed to the wide-open spaces, modern furnishing and focus on projecting natural light at Hoshido Label, Nohr seemed to savour the same sense of dark, decadent wealth as their clothing line. Back dropped by early morning grey light, Kamui suspected that she’d arrived when the building was at the pinnacle of its menacing capacity. Even the pigeons were too terrified to soil the brickwork.  

Kamui took a deep breath, released it and attempted to smooth her reflection into something resembling steely determination. She could so this. She was in control. Or so she tried to tell herself, holding onto the archaic belief that if repeated often enough it would become truth.

The door swung open before clipping primly back on its hinges with a softness that belied its weight and size. The atmosphere of the room washed up and over Kamui in a wave of whispery jazz music, oil-lamp lighting and the smell of furniture polish. Kamui felt as if she’d stepped into the ‘Drawing Room’ of an old manner house. The potent mix of Antique furniture, dark colour schemes and mahogany wood combined to create less of a sense of ‘welcoming people,’ and something more along the lines of ‘welcoming the _right_ people’. Only a swift mental reminder that her own family history was as equal to that of the Nohrs’, kept Kamui from dipping her shoulders.

Sitting at a desk (planted directly in Kamui’s path like it was issuing a personal challenge) was a blue-haired receptionist. A pang of homesickness hit with sudden, unexpected force at the sight, then was gone again seconds later leaving only a dull throb in its place. She swallowed Aqua’s name back hastily and smoothed down the smile that had quivered along her lips. Fortunately the Receptionist was still staring unblinkingly at her Monitor, pale, thin fingers flying across her keyboard.

“Yes?” the not-Aqua spoke in apathetic tones.

“Good Morning,” Kamui smiled pleasantly, “My name is Kamui Hoshido. Miss Nohr said she’d meet me down here at 8?”

Whether the woman believed the credibility of Kamui’s claim or not was impossible to garner from her expression. It was like ice. Not so much of a muscle twitch or a blink broke across the serene mask.

“I see,” she replied, “One moment, please.”

Kamui took the opportunity to check her reflection in the glass of a nearby cabinet. Her hair as usual was being as stubborn as Takumi’s, though she’d attempted to keep the worst of its rebellion from her face with a hairband rather than tying it up (she’d never relished the sensation of it pulling on her scalp). She brushed along her black pencil skirt, plucked invisible lint from the bow at the neck of white dolly blouse and generally fussed over appearance. She wasn’t exactly _competing_ with Camilla (an endeavour she’d be sure to lose anyway) but if the Reception area was any indication, visible imperfections would not be tolerated. Kamui did not want to turn up looking like some bumpkin.

“Miss Hoshido.”

“Oh!” Kamui startled, blushing guilty at being caught trying to check her teeth in the glass, “S-sorry about that.”

The Receptionist’s face softened into a smile, the transformation was so seamless and the end result so beautiful that Kamui found herself staring, “Please, if you would follow me.”

Kamui nodded and hastily followed her into a little meeting room down the corridor behind her desk. Camilla Nohr was already seated inside, she rose to stand when Kamui entered before immediately enveloping the shorter woman in a hug. What proceeded was the lengthy process of educating Kamui through the safety procedures at her new place of work and the signing of many official documents. Nohr employees worked longer hours and for less pay than Kamui was accustomed to, which immediately struck her as odd. It wasn’t necessarily _bad_ pay, but it wasn’t exactly in keeping with a company of Nohr Label’s size. Perhaps the company finances were not in as healthy a state as the Label would have her initially believe? Or perhaps they simply didn’t put as much emphasis on their workers as her father and older brother had? She wondered if her new co-workers were aware of this, and if they were if they were satisfied.

“And here is your new office,” Camilla smiled, swaying to a halt outside a door on the second level, “I hope you enjoy working here as much as I enjoy having you.”

“I will, thank you Miss Nohr,” Kamui smiled.

“Camilla, please,” she replied before something sharp edged her gaze, “Now, remember, if anyone gives you any trouble you’ll come right to me won’t you, dear?”

“T-trouble?” Kamui echoed with confusion, “Why would anyone give me trouble?”

“My little brother should keep an eye on you,” Camilla sighed and pressed a hand to her cheek, “But you know how men are, especially around such a cute girl.”

Kamui spluttered again, but Camilla was already sashaying away again.

“I’ll come collect you for lunch. Till then, dear Kamui,” she called over her shoulder.

“Oh, goodby-“but she was already gone, leaving Kamui alone in the chilly corridor with only the accusatory photo gazes of generations-dead models and executives for company.

She felt very small and very alone outside that door. Camilla’s ominous parting words aside and despite knowing the importance of her task, Kamui was well aware that she had not come here with the best of intentions. Doing something dishonourable for an honourable cause, Kamui wondered if the motive balanced out the act. Or was she merely trying to convince herself of the ‘right thing’ moments before she entered that office and played the wolf in sheep’s clothing?

Kamui firmly reminded herself that the time for doubts had passed, her elder brother had given her plenty of opportunity to reject the task he’d assigned to her and still she had accepted. Instead, she carded through _those_ reasons. Because Ryoma trusted her. Because she wanted to protect the company that her family had built and her friends poured their dreams into. Because she wanted to _know_ that she could do more- _be_ more than semi-convenient. Kamui exhaled and glared at the door as it were the manifestation of those earlier twitching worries. She twisted the knob, moved to stride inside and immediately felt rather silly when she realised it was locked. It was as Kamui leaned her ear against the door in hopes of catching any muffled voices that might be persuaded to open it, that a figure far more resembling a wolf than she interrupted.

“What do we have here?”

So absorbed was she in mentally rallying herself, Kamui had made the grievous sin of completely overlooking the arrival of Mr Zero Jondrette. Most women working at Nohr could have told Kamui how erroneous that was, or as the saying went ‘when Zero was in a room it was wise to keep one eye on what you were doing and the other on what _his_ hands are doing’. Fortunately for Kamui, the eye-patched man was clearly feeling merciful and kept his sticky-fingers away from her person. That, however, did not stop the leering grin he aimed at her backside.

“Oh,” Kamui straightened and smiled sweetly, “Good morning, my name’s Kamui Hoshido. It’s my first day so I’m afraid I don’t know your name yet, though it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The grin shrunk back into a small, knife-like smirk but besides that Zero made no move to reply. Still leaning against the wall with his arms crossed against his chest, the navy blue silk waistcoat unbuttoned and the sleeves of the dress-shirt underneath rolled up to his elbows, he was a picture of leisurely observation. Kamui just wished he wasn’t trying to observe her bra through her shirt. 

As much as she endeavoured to be a good girl like father had asked her, and always tried to find the good in people; Kamui could admit that upon first meeting Zero it was…difficult. The man seemed to reek of trouble. It winked at her from the curl of his smirk. It lingered about him in a haze of cigarette smoke. It lurked especially in that strange, almost animalistic eagerness in his eyes. He looked hungry. It put Kamui on edge because whether it he wanted flesh in a fight or in a (hopefully) less…aggressive manner no one was going home happy.

Frantically resisting the urge to hide her chest from his view lest it offend him, Kamui attempted to shake off her initial opinion of the man and treat him with the same courtesy she would afford anyone else.

“I-I’m sorry, but are you in this office?” she asked, pointing back at the door.

“I am,” he replied.

“Oh good!” Kamui sighed with relief, “Do you have the keys to the door, it seems to be locked and-“

“I have the keys,” he cut in, his smirk twitching and his gaze lighting with a malicious kind of mirth that made Kamui feel a little like Red Riding Hood in the presence of the Big Bad Wolf.

“You do,” she beamed, “That’s great! Could you please open it?”

“What do I get in return?”

Kamui blinked, “Eh?”

“I _said,”_ Zero drawled, pushing off the wall to prowl closer as his smirk stretched to a lupine grin, “what do I _get_ in return?”

“Erm….” Kamui’s eyes darted to and fro while Zero seemed to bask in her anxiety.

“M-my gratitude?” Kamui offered shakily with a hopeful smile.

“I was thinking of _something else_ of _yours,”_ Zero replied.

By this point, Kamui had belatedly clocked the silver-haired man’s slow but sure effort at herding her in. While she wasn’t exactly helpless, Kamui hadn’t exactly ever relished the need to fight either. No matter how badly she’d wanted to hurt someone at the time, she always felt her control slip and it was not worth the stomach-roiling guilt afterwards. She couldn’t exactly hit him but she couldn’t let him touch her with _that_ intent either. Plus, Kamui suspected that the man would enjoy either outcome equally. He tracked her backwards another step, and when the small of Kamui’s back bumped the door knob she glared at him. Enough was enough. According to Takumi, Kamui might have a certain reputation for being a bit of a pushover but she wasn’t about to be sexually harassed by a stranger when she was already so on edge. This wasn’t exactly the affectionate overtures of Camilla Nohr, the man’s fingers were clearly twitching towards her pencil-skirt-covered-derriere.

“Sir,” Kamui said sternly, “I’m afraid if you don’t stop I’m going to have to hit you.”

“Oh,” Zero breathed, evidently pleased, “ _kinky.”_

“Zero, that’s quite enough.”

Zero pulled away instantaneously as if on muscle memory. Now with the space vacated, how dangerously close he’d managed to lurk in was illustrated so clearly to Kamui she could not help but blush. Like scolded children, both Kamui and Zero looked to the figure watching the proceedings with evident disapproval marring his otherwise smooth features. From appearance to the very air he exuded, he was an oxymoron to his co-worker. While Zero had projected an almost unrestrained sense of the more primeval human compulsions, the blonde to his left was all about control and an intellect unfettered by mortal imperfections. His suit was sharp, tailored and utterly spotless; a trophy from Nohr’s glory days that not only commanded awe but also a sense of intimidation. Both men were handsome, and although Kamui had spent enough time around attractive men to gain some form of resistance to their affect she found her eye lingering on the blond.

“Mr Nohr,” Zero said as Kamui blushed and folded her hands behind her, “good morning.”

“Good morning, Zero,” he replied with a nod, “Though it would have been better had I _not_ arrived to find you harassing our new Team Member.”

Zero’s one eye darted snake-quick back to Kamui with renewed interest, “She’s the new girl?”

“If my sister’s description is accurate, yes, though Miss Hoshido should be recognisable from last week’s newspapers,” the blond stated drily.

“So _you’re_ the little princess big brother Hoshido fired?” Zero smirked.  

Kamui scowled at that, hating the way her family name dripped from his lips like some filthy secret and hating more the way it seemed to imply Ryoma as some great, bumbling fool. Seeing that Zero had gained some private sense of enjoyment from her bristling, Kamui attempted to calm herself before she continued.

“Yes, my name’s Kamui Hoshido,” she smiled, “I’m looking forward to working with you all!”

That loosened all remaining interest Zero had in her, and the man turned to unlock the door with a flat expression. The other man, however, turned to her.

“My name is Leo Nohr, I’ll be your Team Leader here.”

“Team Leader?” Kamui echoed, “You’re the Head of the Supplier and Customer Relations?”

“No,” he replied without preamble, “I don’t know how you did things at the Hoshido Label, but in Nohr we have an office for each Team and each Team is constructed from a member of each department.”

“I see,” Kamui nodded, then jerked, “Oh, I forgot! T-thank you…for your help with….”

“Mr Jondrette?” Leo offered, when Kamui nodded he frowned, “Don’t thank me.”

Kamui almost swallowed her tongue, feeling illogically stung by the sudden iron tone that had chilled his voice. She barely knew this man, had no idea what his issues were with her family (ifhe had _any_ despite his last name being Nohr) and had no real sense of his character yet; but the weight of his condemnation was massive nonetheless.

Leo continued on, undaunted by Kamui’s slightly crestfallen expression, “I understand you come from the Hoshido family but I’ll expect you to pull your weight just like the rest of us. In future, you need to know what you’re capable of and act appropriately. Don’t always think you can rely on others to save you.”

With that said, he moved to stride past her in clear dismissal.

“B-but,” Kamui’s bravery almost fled when he turned his head slightly over his shoulder to indicate she had his attention, “…aren’t we meant to be a Team?”

Leo paused before saying, “We are. That’s why I told you to pull your weight.”

The sound of the door closing behind him was as clipped and unapproachable as his words had been. Kamui stared at it, her earlier trepidation clawing its way back up from her stomach. Takumi had said she was a pushover. _But_ her younger brother had also said she was persistent. Kamui Hoshido pushed the door open after Leo Nohr, hoping that persistence did indeed prove itself to be a virtue.

////

For her first morning working at Nohr, Kamui forgot there was even an element in the make-up of her life called ‘find the corporate spy’. It was not through any pure absentmindedness. Kamui’s brain had been stretched that thinly attempting to understand and organise Nohr’s current Supplier/Customer information, that any thought of scenting out shady characters had nowhere to hook itself. Nohr’s method of recording, organising and updating data was completely alien to her, and incredibly twisting. She’d been tasked with updating the database for her Team with 11am as her deadline, something Kamui would have felt was perhaps overly simple at Hoshido but was now looking unachievable. There seemed to be no master sheet or indicator for what went where or what category it came under, even the layout for each one was inconsistent and attempting to update information on a single Customer  could (and often _did)_ completely alter or, worse, _erase_ the information on several Suppliers.

Office conditions had not been a help either. Although the morning had begun with skies clothed grey for the promise of rain, as time passed Saturday’s rare appearance of sunshine had made a revival. Ordinarily Kamui would have welcomed its reappearance with a smile and perhaps the thought of a Pub Garden dinner out with Kaze and Oboro after work; but not so in these circumstances.

Firstly, the layout of the office consisted of four large desks stationed in the centre of the room back-to-back therefore leaving the walls and two storage cupboards available for any necessary materials. Kamui’s desk and Zero’s desk (which was planted behind hers) were pushed against window and the blinds had become tangled thanks to the fourth member of the Team, an overzealous man Kamui had yet to meet. The sun’s glare magnified through double-glazing and reflected from her computer screen had been gluing itself to Kamui’s eyeballs since 9am. Her attempts to divert it included (but were not limited to) moving, make-shift shade, hunting in her bag for sunglasses and pinning the blinds closed with safety pins, but all proved unsuccessful and the sunlight proved unignorable.

Secondly, despite the heat Zero seemed to be suffering from hypothermia. Every half an hour or so, he’d leisurely slink over to the thermostat and raise the temperature again. The man made no comment on his bizarre behaviour (in fact he’d been silent all morning) but Kamui could feel his eyes on her back (or more often, her calves peeping out from underneath her chair). Leo Nohr had left the office shortly after he’d arrived, citing a meeting with the rest of the Financial Sector of the Label, and as such left Kamui and their one-eyed co-worker unsupervised. Recalling their previous encounter she felt a twinge of apprehension at the notion, but Kamui mentally reprimanded herself for it. She was twenty-four year old with work to do, how could she ever hope to prove herself if she was capable of being bullied about by some blatant perversion.

“Excuse me,” she swivelled in her chair to face the man still watching her with an expression of languid disinterest, “isn’t it a little hot in here?”

Zero propped an elbow on his desk, carelessly crumpling several papers and an A5 envelope as he did so, “why? Are you getting sticky?”

Unfortunately, as Kamui happened to be one of those people who failed to recognise euphuisms unless they were painfully spelled out to her, she took his remark with all seriousness. The young woman giggled, “A little, yes, I’m a bit worried my make-up might run off my face.”

“Well, if you’re too hot,” Zero smirked, “you could always just take your top off.”

“Eh?” Kamui chocked, “M-my top….but I’m not wearing anything underneath…it’d be improper.”

“I know,” Zero replied without a single inch of shame.

Kamui desperately looked about for some other form of relief, “Maybe we could….could open a window?”

“Can’t,” he shrugged, “all broken.”

“Is there a fan in here, maybe?”

“Stolen.”

“A….” there was nothing else, though that did not stop Kamui for fervently twisting her head about searching.

“Your mascara’s running,” Zero’s glee doubled as Kamui flustered and began trying to scan her mortified face for tell-tale black smudges in her reflection on the computer screen. Of course, said computer screen, was still blanked out by the sun’s glare and thus the exercise proved useless.

“I…” Kamui hesitated after standing, before finally a smile unfurled across her lips, “I think I’ll just get a bottle of water from the vending machine, that’ll be fine right?”

“Should be,” Zero shrugged.

“Okay, thanks,” Kamui replied earnestly, “would you like anything while I’m there?”

The young man didn’t appear as though he was inclined to grace her with a response, until some thought rippled across his face and narrowed his single visible eye with humour again, “….Yeah, actually could you get me a can of that Lucky Seven Dark Hot Chocolate?”

“Lucky Seven?” Kamui echoed with confusion, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that brand.”

“It’s French,” he replied blandly, “They only sell it in the vending machines here.”

“Oh, is it nice?” she asked, honestly intrigued.

“Oh yeah,” Zero grinned his lupine grin, “It’s really _thick_ and _creamy,_ but you have to be careful not to be too rough with it or it’ll squirt all over your face _.”_

“Really? I’ll be careful, I might even get some myself,” the perceived overture of friendship had perked Kamui up again considerably, making her next smile wide and guileless, “thanks Zero!”

Pulling her bag over her shoulder, Kamui exited the sweltering heat of the office with the smoothness restored to her gait. Despite a rocky start, her co-worker seemed to be warming up to her and she reasoned that perhaps his earlier behaviour had been a misinterpretation on her behalf. Five minutes away from that mindboggling database could do the world of good, maybe the method that had alluded her all morning would suddenly emerge if she looked at it with fresher eyes. Kamui’s thoughts continued on their upward optimistic route, unhampered by the fact that she couldn’t see a can of Lucky Seven Dark Hot Chocolate in the first vending machine she encountered. She decided to buy her water only after she’d purchased Zero’s drink, and journeyed onwards.  

Three vending machines later Kamui was beginning to feel like a boat without its rudder. She had no clear internal layout of the building, and even less of an idea of where the vending machines were located. Everyone else appeared to be hard at work, or so she assumed as every corridor, office and recreation room was deserted. It was only then that a sneaking suspicion began to come creeping softly into her head but Kamui shook it back and focused on her task, intent on giving Zero the benefit of the doubt. She turned a corner and felt her shoulders drop with relief at the sight of not only a fourth vending machine but also another living soul. The messy-haired blond peering into the array of chocolate bars, crisps and fizzy drinks did not react to her approach; instead still thumbing the pound coin between his fingers as he carefully mouthed the name of each brand. From high-polished shoes to the slightly crumpled dress shirt, the man was clothed entirely black bar the blindingly yellow tie about his throat.

“E-excuse me,” Kamui called, speed walking the last couple of steps towards him, “I’m sorry to disturb you, but I’ve been all over the building and I was wondering if you could help.”

“Help?” he blinked before drawing himself up with a wide grin, “Of course, I’d be happy to lend my strength to a college in distress! Speak now, and we shall see what can be done.”

Honestly, Kamui was not entirely sure she’d heard him correctly. He stood there, sombre-faced and awaiting her response attentively which _had_ to mean he had and she wasn’t suffering from dehydration.

“Ah…..right. Well,” she blinked, her words as stumped and ineloquent as her thoughts were until Kamui just resolved that perhaps just carrying on regardless was the only functional approach at the moment.

“I was looking for a can of Lucky Seven Dark Hot Chocolate but I can’t seem to find it anywhere,” Kamui gave a little helpless shrug and smile.

“Lucky….?” Something seemed to click in the man’s head and he turned to her sharply, “who asked you to get it for them?”

Kamui backed up slightly at his zeal, “Erm, Mr Jondrette.”

“ _Of course_.”

Kamui watched the man with mounting concern, concern that only grew when he suddenly laughed and clapped her companionably on the shoulder, “well, my friend, I’m afraid you’ve fallen foul of one of Zero’s jests.”

“…You mean he was joking?” Kamui asked, horrified that she’d spent the last ten minutes scouring every vending machine she came across for an imaginary drink.

“Indeed,” he nodded sympathetically, “Do not take it to heart, even _I_ -the great Odin-was too once taken in by Zero’s trickery,” his good natured expression instantly soured and Kamui wasn’t sure whether his next words were truly for her sake or the memory of his injured pride, “but still, this attitude of his does stir my wrath!”

“T-there’s no need to get so angry,” Kamui soothed, “I’m sure he meant no harm.”

The blond smiled and patted her head as if she were a child, “you are a kind soul to say so. Come, let us confront this pretender.”

Kamui hurried to purchase her water and catch up to his long-legged strides, “Oh, I’m Kamui Hoshido by the way, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“They call me Odin,” he replied.

“They _call_ you Odin?” Kamui asked with evident confusion, “Does that mean it’s not your name?”

“What? N-no…I just, er, thought it was a cooler way of saying my name’s Odin,” he mumbled.

Kamui giggled. Odin looked like a dejected puppy in that state, though he was back to his zany self by the time they reached the office. She’d no idea where he got his energy, enough to breathe life into the overly-theatrical persona _and_ power his conviction of the illusion. On one hand, there was something admirable in that all the same. On the other, everyone she’d met at Nohr bar the receptionist was giving her whiplash, even Hoshido’s loudest characters appeared sedate next to them. Upon arriving back at the office, Kamui discovered that she and Odin were not the only returnees. Leo Nohr glanced up from the veritable mountain of paperwork he was flipping through to give them both an once-over.

“Boss,” Odin cheered, “How fared your meeting?”

“Horrendous,” Leo shook his head, “but I’d rather not get into that.”

“ _Now_ , where have you both been?” he asked, without concern or recrimination or any real curiosity. It gave the impression that he _exactly_ where they’d been and was far too busy to be truly angry about it.

“I was needed,” Odin answered before giving Zero a reprimanding look, “and brave Kamui here was wandering about looking for a hollow goblet.”

“In English please, Odin,” Leo was doing a commendable display of multi-tasking between dealing with his Team and steadily carving through a stack of papers larger than his head.

“I played a little joke on the new girl,” Zero sighed, “it’s nothing to blow your load over….not that you’ve ever needed an excuse, Odin.”

“Why you!” sheer indignant rage propelled Odin forward a step, where the otherwise wordsmith spluttered like a cat dunked in water.

“Well, as long as your both here,” Leo deposited the stack of papers neatly back on his desk, “Miss Hoshido, I’d like to speak with you for a moment.”

“Of course,” Kamui smoothly detached herself from where Odin was finally jawing out something that approximated as a comeback.

Still sitting at his desk, Leo nodding to her own desk which was next to his own and Kamui dutifully did as she was instructed. He spent a moment just inspecting her face, not too long that it could be considered rude but not too short that Kamui didn’t become self-conscious under his scrutiny. There was nothing _romantic_ in the gesture, not even a whiff of any form of sociable graciousness. Leo was observing her in the same manner someone would observe a half-price deal on a kitchen appliance, weighing up the long-term values against the length of time funnelled into growing accustomed to the thing. All in all, it was extremely unnerving until he blinked (those very long eyelashes, Kamui noted in passing, longer than most women’s) and noticed her awkwardness. His expression still wasn’t exactly open but it was far more human, and some clumsiness in his movements told Kamui that he regretted making her uncomfortable even if his words did not.  

“You’ve been working on updating the Customer/Supplier Database this morning, correct?” he began.

“Yes,” Kamui nodded.

“….It’s completely wrong,” he sighed, “I’ve had to delete your copies and restore the original before the damage spread, the entire process will need to be redone correctly before you can even begin organising it into something useable.”

A burst of frustration welled up and popped somewhere in Kamui’s brain. She wanted to call Ryoma or Takumi or Hinoka and ask them to whisk the issue away. More so, she never wanted to look at that damn database again. But she’d decided that she wasn’t doing that, so she fought the itch and nodded.

“I understand. It’ll be done by tomorrow, I’ll get on it right away.”

“Please see that you do,” Leo replied, already returning to his own work.

“Who’s the new girl getting on?” Zero interrupted.

“Zero, one day she _will_ file for Sexual Harassment,” Leo responded with a bloodthirsty smirk that made him look alarmingly like Camilla, “and no one here will stop her.”

“….Understood, Mr Nohr.”

////

The morning passed and Kamui did not move from her seat. Lunch came and went, and Camilla Nohr with it but Kamui did not leave her workstation. In the afternoon, the call of bathroom ripped her away from her desk for five minutes but she was soon replanted as if she’d never uprooted herself from the spot in the first place. Somewhere between the fifth system auto-delete and the sixth, the database had begun to metamorphosis from simple task into hurdle she’d have to overcome to prove to herself that she was serious about this. Kamui was mulishly unwilling to shift from it. She _couldn’t._ She wouldn’t prove to herself that maybe she’d be correct in thinking there wasn’t much left to Kamui Hoshido than the pampered middle child of a privileged family.

As hurt as she’d been at first by the curtness of her Team Leader’s words, he was right in that respect. She would have to pull her own weight or strangle herself in the slack. She’d never been spoilt, Sumeragi Hoshido would not have allowed that, but Kamui would be the first to admit that she’d had an easier life than most. She’d never really _had_ to challenge herself, her elder siblings preferred a little sister that came to _them_ with her problems and she’d indulged both her own weakness and their need for it. It was a potent mix of past anxieties and bad habits, stubborn resolve, and a flush of almost insidious curiosity about whether or not she _could_ carry her own weight that kept Kamui deaf, dumb and blind to all but the task at hand.

“Miss Hoshido.”

“Eh?” Kamui’s gaze flicked up from her monitor to find the rest of the office already packing to leave. The streets of Touma outside were feathering themselves up for the oncoming night, while the parking lot below was already bathed in a rheumy film of the afternoon’s dying light.

“It’s late,” Leo continued.

“I-I haven’t finished,” she replied, determinedly turning back to her computer.

“I see,” he paused, “….it will still be there in the morning.”

Kamui scowled, flashing the young man a quick look of aggravation, “I promised I’d have it done tomorrow.”

He seemed to weigh her up for a moment before sighing, “Please yourself. The Night Guard will be on duty, I’ll inform them you’re here just tell them when you wish to leave.”

“I will, thank you,” Kamui smiled.

He nodded briskly, collected the rest of his belongings and left without any more fanfare. Odin, however, proved harder to unstick. The older man hovered about her fretting in a rather mother-hen manner that Kamui would have found comical had she not focused her complete attention on the database. So absorbed in her task was she, that she actually jumped when her bag began vibrating demandingly. Kamui fished her phone out of her bag, blinking at first to rid the black spots from her eyes and then later in surprise at the time.

**Oboro: Are you still coming to the Gym? Being laid-off is no excuse to be lazy ;P**

**Oboro: Urghh >:\ Jeez, sorry that was insensitive**

**Oboro: But you ARE still coming to the Gym, right? They’ve got Zumba class today~**

Kamui bit her lip. They didn’t know. Of course they didn’t. She hadn’t told Oboro, there her friend was texting her about Zumba meanwhile Kamui was sitting in her new office at Nohr Labels, the ‘heart of the enemy’. What did she say? What _could_ she say? She couldn’t lie to Oboro but she couldn’t tell her the truth either, a truth that her best friend would inevitably discover sooner or later. She pushed it from her mind, hastily stuffing her phone back into her bag as if it would brand her. Still she felt the heat of it there, so she threw her bag to the floor and pushed it under her desk. Kamui stretched her arms above her head until her spine popped, staring at the ceiling tiles as her mind filled with nothing but the guilt lying undisturbed like a tongue waiting to be pressed to the roof of a mouth. She had work to do and it was late, Oboro could wait.

An hour later, a gentle knock sounded. Kamui completed the very last of the entries, relief turning her bones to jelly while exhaustion set into the new softness.   

“Yes?”

“It’s dark now,” a gruff voice muffled by the door spoke, “….are you almost done?”

“Oh, er, yes,” prodded by what she guessed must be the Night Guard Leo had spoken of, Kamui rushed to carefully save her work and shut her computer down, “just finished the last one!”

There was a grunt of affirmation.

Rubbing at her sore eyes with one wrist, Kamui opened the door and almost immediately stumbled in the dim lighting. A hand, large and warm that felt more like a paw really, steadied her but withdrew instantly.

“T-thank you,” Kamui peered at the huge, blocky figure in the gloom but he seemed reluctant to award her what little of his person she could make out and turned hastily. She made out a little guardsman’s cap and a back like dining table. He was at least the height and breadth of two of her, and seemed to be fully of aware of it, hunching his vast bulk in effort to make himself appear smaller.

Hesitantly the man reached out and pushed a Styrofoam cup into her hands. Kamui felt the heat sinking through into her fingertips, and inhaled greedily at the scent of fresh coffee.

“….It’s coffee,” he mumbled, “I…thought you might be tired.”

“I was, thank you,” Kamui smiled up at the face shadowed up his hat’s bill with earnest gratefulness, “that was very thoughtful of you.”

He made an uncomfortable sound in his throat, before ambling off with Kamui following at his heels. She was naturally curious, but tired and respectful that if the Night Guard had gone far enough to dim the lights to provide himself with some privacy then she should respect it. Perhaps he was badly scarred and self-conscious about it? He was a Guard after all. He led her to the door and gently ushered her outside.

“….Goodnight,” he mumbled, “try to get some sleep.”

“I will, thank you,” Kamui beamed, the late afternoon shooting through her, “Oh! What’s your name?”

“….Benoit.”

“Goodnight Benoit, pleasant dreams.”

Kamui fought sleep the entire journey home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise if it seems like I'm bashing Zero a little in this chapter, honestly that wasn't my intention. But this is an AU, and one where Kamui doesn't possess the weight of the Nohr Royal Family backing her so a few of the Conquest characters will react differently to her because of that. Also as a little bonus did anyone get the Eponine reference in Zero's last name?   
> Thank you VERY MUCH for all the feedback, honestly I didn't expect a lot and what I have received has been brilliant :D It's very encouraging on those days when I just can't seem to summon the enthusiasm :)


	4. The Co-Workers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many, many apologies for the incredibly delayed update. There were some personal issues in the family that needed attention, and after that I found it very difficult to pick up where I was/where I was going with this thing. I'd like to say that'll it'll never happen again and I'll keep a strict update schedule, but then this becomes work instead of fun and then loses its entire purpose -.-
> 
> Anyway, I hoped you liked the chapter regardless. It's knocked my original main pairing (Leo x Kamui) out the bloody window, but I guess I'll just see where it goes in that department ;)

“You are a terrible human being.”

“Z-Zero!” Kamui startled, swinging her head round to stare wide-eyed at the young man glaring at the back window of her car.

The action almost unbalanced the strange dance of simultaneously locking her door and juggling her umbrella Kamui had found herself unwillingly participating in. Mr Jondrette had evidently opted for the smarter option of donning a waterproof parka. The weather, it seemed, was intent on punishing England for yesterday’s day of stolen sunshine. It was raining so hard and so relentlessly that Kamui had to wonder if it’d ever stop.

“What are these?” Zero muttered, his lip curling with disgust.

Curiously Kamui teetered over to his side. Upon catching sight of what he was scowling at so ferociously, she was confused, “They’re teddies. My older sister buys one for me every time she’s serving overseas.”

“Does she hate you?” Zero replied blandly.

“No! Of course she-“realisation dawned when Zero’s expression only grew drier, “That was a joke at my expense, wasn’t it? Is there something I could help you with, Zero, or did you just stop to say hello?”

“I was just wondering what all the spoilt, little rich kids were driving nowadays,” Zero replied unapologetically. Seeing as Kamui was driving a hand-me-down Fiat, the statement rang rather hollow.

“Then I suppose this a little anticlimactic, huh?” Kamui giggled.

Zero snorted at that, flashing her a quick smirk that-for a moment-felt as they were laughing together rather than _at_ her. Despite the rain he proceeded to light a cigarette, the little orange flame spluttering to light the recesses of his hood a moment before the man exhaled in pure bliss.

“What do you drive?” Kamui asked curiously, trying to shield Zero under her umbrella as the pair began to cross the carpark towards the main entrance.

“What’s with the questions?” there was something sharp in his tone. Something that made Kamui’s mind ring with ‘leave it alone’.

Kamui blinked, “Oh…erm, I-I was just trying to get to know you better, we are team mates after all.”

Zero chuckled at that, “trust me, princess, I’m not worth knowing.”

The statement made Kamui reassess the man beside her. She knew her look was vaguely pitying, and she hated herself for that. He looked smaller, more vulnerable- _wounded-_ than the office letch he’d masqueraded as the day previous. Everyone’s got their issues. Zero clearly didn’t fancy discussing his with a practical stranger. But that didn’t stop Kamui’s rush of concern. He’s ‘the enemy’ she reminded herself, a potential spy, and yet again the curt reprimand slid from her natural compassion like oil from water. It was only her _second_ day, and she was already finding it far more difficult than she anticipated. She pulled her coat tighter about herself. Ryoma was counting on her. If she could trust in nothing else, she would have to have trust in his faith of her.

 “You may think that, Mr Jondrette, but I certainly think you’re worth knowing,” Kamui replied.

Zero gave her a derisive look, another plume of cigarette smoke framing itself around his face, “you were sheltered as a kid, right?”

“H-how did you know that?”

“Just a guess,” he smirked.

“But some people really aren’t worth knowing,” he shrugged, “unless you’d like us to get to know one another more _intimately?”_

“Erm, I-I didn’t-“

He laughed.

Kamui once again found herself the butt of his joke, and with a shiver of premonition realised that this was likely something that’d happen often. The pair finally reached the double doors, and Zero paused to smoke down what was left of his now decidedly bedraggled cigarette. Other workers passed them, heads down, collars turned up against the rain and gaze focused dead-ahead; no good mornings or even an acknowledgment of their existence. It was like being a ghost in a crowd. Zero smirked at her obvious discomfort.   

“Why _are_ you talking to me?” Kamui asked.

Zero mulled it over, his gaze listing past her entirely. He sucked at his cheeks as if tasting her question, it was a childish gesture for a man who had otherwise seemed anything but.

“….I don’t know,” he finally answered, “I haven’t decided what to make of you yet.”

He stubbed his cigarette before she could properly process his answer, and slipped inside. She stared after him, caught in limbo between reacting and dismissing his surprisingly honest response. ‘ _Some people really aren’t worth knowing’._ Kamui didn’t believe that. She didn’t _want_ to believe that. She had been chastised endlessly for that same weakness. Kamui had a self-destructive tendency towards getting _too_ wrapped up in other people’s lives; to the point that when they fell apart, so did she. Knowing that meant also knowing that she _should_ remain detached, getting involved would only cause further complications and give her fears something else to prey on. But knowing something and doing something were two very different creatures, and in the end she’d never been very good at just leaving something well enough alone.

////

Kamui’s second day went about as well as her first, which is to say not very well at all. Being already over-tired from working overtime the night before, she soon found herself the victim of what felt like a domino line of rookie slip-ups. The system- _thankfully_ -held, but this minor victory did little to drive back the new barrage of mistakes. By Lunch time she’d already sent several files to the wrong department, broken the photo-copier, supplied a client on the telephone with _Hoshido_ information and managed to somehow lose several Design Blueprints into the recesses of the Nohr Network.

Kamui’s only redemption from further disaster was the team safety net, otherwise known as Leo Nohr. At first she had been hesitant to bother her superior with questions, doggedly sticking to her earlier conviction of proving self-reliant but sometime after the photo-copier started _screaming_ at her (before that day and everyday hence, Kamui has _never_ heard a machine make a noise like that photo-copier did) her previous declaration slipped away.  The fact that the young man could simultaneously complete his own work to such a high standard _and_ keep an eye on the rest of his team’s was admirable. If a little intimidating. Being in the presence of someone who can just instinctively deal with life with such competence-Kamui discovered-had never been the best for building confidence in your own skills. It was really little to no surprise that she ended up clinging to him like a raft in a shipwreck, metaphorically speaking of course.

“We’re going to have to restrict your phone until you memorise the _new_ information,” Leo informed her in his usual indifferent, business-like tones.

“Right,” Kamui nodded, “er, sorry about that again.”

“It was a mistake,” something about the way he said it made Kamui wonder if he were reminding himself instead of her.

“What does-“

“Don’t-”

A screech of static rent through office, triggering an overly dramatic display from Odin and another condescending look from Zero. Kamui sunk further into her seat.

“-press that,” Leo finished with a sigh, carefully lifting Kamui’s hand from the phone and depositing it on the desk, “Zero, remove her phone.”

“Right, boss,” Zero replied with clear relief.

“I’m very sorry,” Kamui blabbered, “Honestly, I really shouldn’t be taking up so much of your time with these basics. I won’t touch the phone again without your explicit say-so, I’m sorry I’m disturbing everyone’s work and you’ve been so helpful.”

She rushed to help Zero but unfortunately her current string of bad luck was still fully functioning. Several lights on the device flared, somewhere down the corridor an alarm began beeping with increasing distress, and a voice Kamui did not recognise began nattering away in the speakers.

“I don’t see why _she_ was having a fit about it anyway! Gawds! If she’d only done her damn job properly in the first place, I wouldn’t had to have come down there and done it _for_ her! Urghh, how hard can dog-walking be, you literally just have to walk with a couple of dogs, for fu-“

The irate woman cut off as Leo smoothly snagged a socket from the wall. Kamui’s ears were still ringing, her phone being handed to Zero seemed particularly loud. Or perhaps that was aided more by her embarrassment than any damage to her ear drums.

“I’m so sorry,” she mumbled, face bright red and eyes glued to her desk.

“Its fine,” Leo replied dismissively, “everyone makes mistakes.”

It was at once the most reassuring and disappointing thing he could have said. On one hand, it meant that Kamui wasn’t being judged too harshly for her mistakes. But on the other it meant that Kamui was not worth judging for them at all, that her failures were expected when she had wanted to prove her aptitude instead.

“Don’t lose heart, Kamui,” Odin’s voice was muffled due to the small plethora of designing pins he had sticking out his mouth, “I, too, once found the machinery difficult when I was a young novice.”

“That’s….” Kamui sighed, “That’s very nice of you to say, Odin, but not very reassuring.”

Odin looked confused as to why anyone would find being compared to him ‘not very reassuring,’ but opted for a sagely nodding his head. Any further attempts by Odin were halted by the sound of soft knocking at the door.

Leo straightened from where he’d been leaning over Kamui’s desk, “enter.”

A soft-faced young woman with sombre bearing mutely stepped into the office, her slight frame almost eclipsed entirely by the mass of dark hair hanging loose down her back. Her suit was impeccable and there was a certain air of professionalism in the way she held herself, and yet Kamui could not help thinking of when she’d dress in her mother’s clothes as a child.

When she spoke, Kamui was immediately shocked at how…old her voice was, far older than her appearance would have you believe. Truthfully she didn’t look a day over Sakura’s age.

“Excuse me, Mr Nohr, your brother is asking for another review from the Finances Department,” she said.

Leo appeared visibly frustrated for a very brief moment but almost immediately took control again with practiced ease.

“I understand,” he nodded, “Thank you, Nyx, tell him I’ll be there shortly.”

Accepting his acquiesce, she stepped demurely from view again, leaving Leo to rapidly collect his belongings, “I’m not sure how long I’ll be, please try not to cause _too_ much trouble while I’m gone.”

“Of course not, boss,” Zero leaned back in his chair, “we’re not _children_.”

Leo gifted his comment with a dry look, “Miss Hoshido?”

“Yes,” Kamui turned to him attentively.

“Could you…”he faltered, beneath his cool mask she could almost _see_ his brain scrambling for the correct course of action for her, “…just don’t touch the phones. You still have to familiarise yourself with our main suppliers and who they come into contact with, please do so.”

“Of course,” Kamui nodded, “Oh! And Leo, I really am sorry about the photocopier.”

He winced. There didn’t seem anything appropriate to say about that particularly grisly demise, so he settled for, “Yes. Well. And Odin, no helping her. You’re luck with computers isn’t much better.”

“I would never!” Odin protested, scandalised.

Leo smiled to himself and shook his head, “goodbye.”

“Good luck!”

“See ya.”

“Fare journey!”

As soon as the door was shut Zero swivelled slightly to face Kamui, arms still dangling languidly above his head and fingers waggling to get her attention. He smirked, pointed discreetly at where Odin was watching the door in a manner reminiscent of a cat watching a spot of light, then began counting on his fingers. Intrigued, Kamui frowned as her eyes darted between a fidgeting Odin and Zero’s countdown.

 “Quickly Kamui, let’s see what the issue is!” Odin almost dislodged half his desk in his haste to scramble over to Kamui’s. She _may_ have shrieked a little at the display, pushing away from her desk as Odin rushed to occupy much of the space.

“B-but Leo said-“Kamui attempted to protest.

“I can’t allow you to falter any longer!” Odin argued passionately, “You are my comrade and in need of my assistance! _Now_ …where’s your space bar?”

“It’s…er….on the keyboard,” Kamui answered haltingly, “where it’s always been.”

“Ah….Right! I knew that!”

“Give it up, Odin,” Zero chuckled, “Boss was right, you’re just jamming up her hardware.”

Both Kamui and Odin coloured at that, the former with embarrassment and the latter with righteous fury.

“B-but I just wanted to help,” Odin whined, “is there not _anything_ I can do, Kamui?”

“Well…”Kamui paused in her task of re-righting her desk what little of her desk she could get to with Odin still there, “You’ve already been a big help.”

“I…have?”

“He _has?”_ Zero echoed with disbelief.

“Yes, you’ve been very welcoming and that, in itself, is incredibly reassuring in a new company,” Kamui smiled, “Both of you have, so thank you.”

“W-well, when you say it like _that_ ,” Odin muttered.

Zero, however, feigned disinterest as he cut in, “He’s only doing it because his wife asked him to.”

Odin hissed and Zero smirked, both anticipating hurt looks from Kamui. The young woman however had focused entirely on the wrong part of Zero’s sabotage, “You’re married?”

“I…am,” Odin answered, still braced for angry accusations, then repeated with more confidence, “I am!”

“Really? What’s she like? How long have you been married? How long have you known her?” Kamui asked, “She wants you to look after me? Why? Do I know her?”

“A light in the eternal darkness!” Odin enthused, “The Queen of the darkness in my heart-“

“Wait…erm, is she light _in_ the darkness then or is she the Queen _of_ darkness?”

“-She is my true love, my soulmate, the mother of my child!” he continued, still furiously tapping away at her keyboard.

“You’re a father too?”

“By the Gods,” Zero growled, “ _stop asking him questions!”_

“Zero, you will understand when you too, one day, experience the illustrious joy of fatherhood,” Odin replied in a voice clearly designed to appear wise.

Zero apparently doubted that wisdom, “don’t patronise me.”

“I-“ Odin beamed, but got no farther than that. What little of the screen of Kamui’s computer they could make out through the thicket of pop-ups, had turned an unhealthy yellow colour and an unhealthier gurgling noise started gaining volume.

“Should….should it be doing that?” Kamui whispered.

“ _Great_. Boss has been gone five minutes,” Zero stated flatly, “and you’ve made her computer gargle.”

“Hang on, I’ll fix it,” Odin replied determinedly.

“No!” Kamui put a valiant effort into hauling the her far taller, far larger co-worker away from the machine, “Please, Odin, it’s fine! Just stop touching my things!”

“Heh,” Zero smirked, “I don’t even have to _try_ with that one.”

“W-wait Kamui, I think I’ve got it…Yes! It all becomes clear to me now, the path to victory is at hand!”

“Stop! I appreciate the help, I do, but please-why is it fizzling? Computer’s aren’t meant to fizzle!”

“I’m calling IT,” Zero inputted, completely collected in the face of the others’ panic.

“Aha!” Odin cheered triumphantly, right before the monitor gave one last pitiful wheeze and blacked out. Zero arched a brow, Kamui looked like she was on the fringe of crying. Perhaps an exaggeration but, to Kamui, it felt like nothing was going right. She’d failed consistently all morning and the moment her supervisor left the room, she managed to make her computer gargle and blow up. She missedher old boss and her old desk and her old work load. She missed going to the gym with Oboro. She missed the friendly atmosphere at Hoshido. She missed the small talk. She missed the wide, open spaces of the building. At that moment what she missed most was the ability to confide in Kaze how much she was _missing all those things_. It wasn’t her finest moment and Kamui knew that it was an over-reaction, but honestly she felt very close to just packing the entire thing in. Why had _she_ been chosen for this? Why was there a need for this _at all?_

How calmly she sat down surprised even her. The churning whirlpool of panic, self-pity and homesickness had formed a tight knot in Kamui’s throat, one she swallowed with difficultly.

“Kamui….” Odin said with real remorse, “I’m sorry, I was trying to help.”

“Its fine, Odin,” she gave a watery smile. Her co-worker’s expression only crumpled further at the bravado, enough so for Kamui to feel a hammer-blow of guilt. Her next smile was surer, “I understand. Actually you called IT already, right Zero?”

He nodded.

“So they should be here soon,” Kamui continued, “in the meantime, I can go over the printouts Leo gave me.”

Odin drew taller again, “A noble soul, if you need any more assistance just ask it of me and I shall endeavour.”

Kamui’s own smile felt a little more stable when bolstered by Odin’s, “Thanks Odin…but I don’t think that’s necessary.”

She tried to remain firm at Odin’s slightly crest-fallen expression.

“Fiver says the IT guy’s got a ponytail,” Zero added.

“That’s a bit stereotypical,” Kamui replied, quietly she was thankful for the change in topic.

Zero shrugged, “we’ll see.”

Five minutes later and a knock heralded the arrival of the IT guy. Kamui had managed with some wavering success to push her longing aside in the face of her workload, while Odin had calmed sufficiently enough to proudly list the exploits of his two year old daughter, Ophelia. He still hadn’t divulged his wife’s name or the reason for her asking him to protect Kamui, but she found that trying to keep Odin from veering into a tangent was like trying to collect water in a sieve. The whole atmosphere in the office was a jarring change from the calm, amicable efficiency of Kaze and Orochi, though not an unpleasant one. Zero and Odin verbally jostled between each other in a constant contrast of idealism and cynicism that _somehow_ managed to level out. As much as they bickered, Kamui secretly suspected that the two were actually quite close. Odin’s efforts in integrating her into the group only redoubled, something she felt was likely spurned by his earlier ‘murder’ of her computer software. Granted he’d also appeared rather pleased that another romantic had joined his ranks. In fact both of them had been arguing vehemently with Zero about how Valentine’s Day was most definitely _not_ a waste of time and/or money, when the IT consultant walked in.

“It’s a corporate gimmick,” Zero curled his lip.

“It doesn’t matter, it’s just important to let someone you love know how much you mean to them sometimes,” Kamui rebuffed.

“Agreed!” Odin banged a fist on his desk.

“I know it’s _hard_ ,” Zero smirked, “But can you resist the urge to bang everything you see.”

“Y-you’re changing the subject again!” Odin yelled, re-faced.

A disgruntled cough pulled their collective attention back to the man glaring at them from the doorway. He kicked the door closed with the heel of his shoe in a manner far more aggressive than the action really warranted. Then he proceeded to narrow his eyes, as if the very existence of the office offended him on some deep, personal level. He was tall and lean and dressed impeccably, purple eyes cutting in their open hostility and silver hair tied back in a- “damn”, Kamui thought-ponytail.

“Pay up,” Zero lazily stretched out a hand and flexed his fingers at her. She begrudgingly fished a fiver from her purse and handed it over to him, trying to ignore his very smug smirk. Zero’s smile brought the expression ‘the cat that’d caught the canary’ to mind.

The IT guy’s eyes zeroed in on Odin, and his already intense scowl grew more daunting.

“ _You,”_ he growled, “If you’ve broken the bloody monitor again I’m going to ram it so far up your-“

“I-it’s not my computer!” Odin defended, “….Well, _this_ time. It’s Kamui’s.”

“I’m very sorry,” Kamui added, “if there’s anything I can do to make your job easier, please just ask…”

The IT glanced dismissively in her direction then, in a complete emotional U-turn, all his previous irritation just blanked off his face as if it’d dripped from him. In fact _all_ normal behaviour appeared to desert the man. He blinked like he’d suffered sudden blunt head trauma then very slowly and very deliberately turned back to her again, though this time with the addition of a powerfully red blush.

Unsure what else to do, Kamui just smiled sheepishly while he gaped at her, “I-is there anything…I can do, I mean, Mr….?”

He jumped back to life, lowering his head to avoid her gaze before mumbling, “J-Jakob, Jakob, my name is Jakob.”

“I’m sorry,” Zero drawled with a malicious glee, “what did you say your name was again?”

If looks could kill, the glare Jakob shot him at that moment would have left a bloodstained splatter and little else. However Zero remained completely unfazed by it, if anything Jakob’s ire only _increased_ his amusement.

“I’m Kamui, it’s nice to meet you,” she smiled.

He nodded awkwardly and took a moment to collect himself, before striding towards her desk with reinstated grace, “what seems to be the issue, Miss Kamui…may I call you that?”

“Oh! By all means,” Kamui nodded, a little bewildered and a little tickled by the extreme politeness (even by _her_ standards).

“Thank you,” he smiled, “Could you please tell me what happened before it all went…off?”

Kamui barely managed to open her mouth before Odin cut in, “This tragedy is no fault of Kamui’s! I take full blame here, the screen did turn a mysterious hue of accursed otherworldly dairy products and then, lo, it did-“

Jakob whirled on him with the ferocity of a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

“Did I bloody well ask _you!”_ he hissed. It was not a question.

Odin gulped and sat back down so quickly he almost broke his chair. Kamui blinked, naked shock on her face as her gaze flicked back and forth between Odin’s pale face and Jakob’s frankly terrifying scowl.

“….Er, w-well,” she replied shakily, still casting a concerned look back at her co-worker, “ _We_ were trying to get it working and a lot of pop-ups appeared, then the screen went yellow and it started making a…fizzling noise, does that make any sense?”

“Absolute sense,” he smiled serenely, “That was very helpful, thank you. This should take just a moment.”

“Oh!” Kamui exclaimed with pleasant surprise, “That quickly?”

“Of course.”

“Wow, that’s impressive,” she smiled, “thank you, Jakob, you’re a life-saver.”

His face turned such a painful-looking shade of red at her words that he was forced to duck his head.

Eventually he mumbled, “….Y-you’re very welcome.”

////

Five seconds into entering the office, Leo Nohr was bombarded by his high-energy colleagues. With the type of cool proficiency only born through years of practice, he smoothly evaded Odin’s mad dash to occupy his attention. Scanning the office quickly to ensure no major damage had been wrought in his absence, Leo sat and finally faced his Team.

“Boss, you are not going to believe this!” Odin began.

“What is it?”

“The IT guy’s got a crush on the new girl,” Zero reported flatly, “and it’s disgusting.”

“I-it’s not a crush!” Kamui coloured, “We don’t know that, maybe he was just being pleasant?”

“Trust me,” Zero smirked, “No one’s that ‘ _pleasant’_ unless they want to see you naked.”

“Zero!” Odin gasped, scandalised, “Not everyone can scour the same heights of depravity as your soul can.”

“Besides,” Kamui frowned, “we’re not children.”

“Oh, _that_ I am well aware of,” Zero’s smirk grew to lupine proportions as he pointedly eyed her bust.

“….As much as this goes against my nature,” Odin began carefully, “in these circumstances, I must admit that the ominous knight from hours past _did_ seem to harbour romantic feelings for fair Kamui.”

“He wanted to _hard_ wire your hardware,” Zero cut in.

“What does that-“Kamui’s asked, frowning with confusion.

“Clean your monitor.”

“Eh? How does-“

“Open up the back and _fiddle_ around inside,” Zero continued.

“Zero. Sexual Harassment Charges,” Leo reminded him. Zero promptly closed his mouth with a soft click.

Leo sighed and resisted the urge to massage his forehead… _barely_ , “….and this is significant because?”

“We can _use_ this,” Zero replied.

“Eh?” Kamui breathed with shock, “E-even if Jakob _did_ have…that sort of…interest in me, we couldn’t just use his feelings so cruelly.”

“Did I ever give the impression that I’d have a problem with that,” Zero replied. His tone was flat, factual. Lifeless.

Kamui gave him a look that said she didn’t entirely believe him on that account, a look that Zero also chose to ignore. That brief exchange heralded the end of the working day. Odin and Zero began their ritual of shutting down computers and hiding away any belongings they didn’t want the cleaning staff getting to. Leo and Kamui did not move.

“Fare well, comrades,” Odin called cheerily as he slipped on his coat.

“Goodbye Odin,” Kamui smiled, “I’d love to see those pictures from Ophelia’s birthday party you were telling me about.”

“I shall bring them on the morrow,” he grinned, “It was wizard themed, she loved it!”

“Hehehe, sounds great!” she replied, “have a good day. Oh, you too, Zero!”

“Yeah,” his tone positively dripped with disinterest, “See ya. Bye Boss.”

“Goodbye Zero.”

The door shut behind them, instantly throwing the room into silence. It was not the type of silence that suggested absolute quiet, the room still resounded with the sound of tapping keys and papers being shuffled, but it was the type of silence filled with the absence of sound. Kamui tried not to think about her bag, more specifically the repertoire of unaddressed texts from Oboro, Kaze, Takumi and various others. Should she just tell them? They’ll found out soon anyway, in fact it’s a small miracle that the gossip mags haven’t already snooped out her new job placement already. They’d be upset hearing it from someone else. She really should just tell them. But _how_ exactly? And what possible motive could she give when the _truth_ was out the question?

“They didn’t mean to offend.”

“Eh?” Kamui blinked as Leo’s voice jarred her from her worries.

He had not even turned in her direction, gaze still focused on his screen. She studied him a moment, and found that there was some stiffness-some form of hesitance- lacing what was otherwise the usual tapestry of easy grace.

“Odin and Zero,” he repeated, “if they offended you in some way, that was not their intention.”

“…. Offended me?” Kamui echoed, her brows scrunched with confusion.

He paused. His eyes flicked to her then back to his screen again. Something in his posture reminded Kamui of eight-year-old Tamaki on photo day at school. A ridiculous comparison considering Leo Nohr was likely only her junior by two years at most, and mentally her senior by many more. But still, as she hastily smothered a smile, Kamui couldn’t shake the image of that childlike resignation.

“You seemed worried.”

“Oh! No, honestly Odin and Zero have been more than welcoming! I, er, it wasn’t…that.”

“I see.”

It was made clear in his curt reply, that he didn’t wish to get too involved. Yet Kamui’s previous statement hung awkwardly in the air, a presence that neither wanted to deal with but were also finding difficult to ignore completely. Not saying anything meant stewing in this atmosphere, but saying something could trigger a worse one. Kamui licked her lips and just decided to take the plunge.

“You’re working late today, also?” she asked.

“I often do,” he replied shortly.

“Oh…does that not make you tired? Having so little time at home?” she asked with genuine concern.

“Not really. I am accustomed to it,” he replied with an air of distraction, “Nohr Labels expects a certain standard of performance from its employees, and being Head of the Finance Department also requires added willpower.”

“You’re the Head of the Finance Department?” Kamui asked with shock, “B-but you’re so young!”

He smirked, “as I said. Added willpower.”

“Did you always want to work in Financing?” Kamui asked curiously.

“So many questions,” his expression when he turned from the computer was a mixture of confusion, suspicion and faint amusement. It was one Kamui was becoming accustomed to receiving from Nohr employees.

“Sorry,” she said softly, “I shouldn’t pry.”

She’d already been reprimanded by Zero for doing so. Just because Odin had reacted enthusiastically to her probing questions, did not mean everyone appreciated her nosiness. Honestly she shouldn’t be trying to learn about the home-lives of her colleagues _at all_.  Foremost, it wasn’t any of her business. Something that went doubly, considering the reason behind her current position.

“…It’s fine,” Leo once again snapped her from her thoughts, this time with a sigh. In the space of time she had retreated into her own head, he had already printed and stapled a stack of papers and was preparing to deliver them elsewhere.

He didn’t look at her as he said, “though in regards to your own work, Miss Hoshido, the sooner you can stop depending on me, the better.”

“Wha-“ Kamui’s mouth opened but he was already gone. She slumped in her chair, still staring at the door as her stomach mixed with a potent combination of confusion and shame. This time when her bag began vibrating again, she pushed it off her desk with an irritated groan.


End file.
